Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And the neighbor who is a relative and the neighbor who is not a relative," and clarification of the rights of the neighbor.
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The Shaykh :[An-Nisa 4:36] The neighbor who is a relative: this means the one who is related to you by kinship. The neighbor who is not a relative: the one between whom and you there is no kinship. Listen, man. The neighbor is a relative to you, his house is next to yours, and next to you is your brother. What do we call this?
The student: A neighbor who is a relative.
The Shaykh : We call him a neighbor who is a relative, a close one. The neighbor who is not a relative: his house is next to yours, and next to you is a man you do not know and who has no connection to you. What do we call this? A neighbor who is not a relative, meaning distant. Allah the Exalted began with the neighbor who is a relative because the neighbor who is a relative has two rights: the first right is kinship, and the second is neighborliness. One begins with the most important, then the next most important. The neighbor, my brothers, has a right; he has a right over his neighbor. He must honor him; he must honor his neighbor, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Sahih Muslim 47a To the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Sahih Muslim 2625b To this degree. And he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1942Sahih (Darussalam) Honor the neighbor. And honoring every person is with what befits him. If your neighbor is poor, you can honor him with a vessel of food. If he is rich, do you honor him with that? Answer, man.
The student: No.
The Shaykh : No. If you sent him a vessel of food, he would consider it an insult. But honor him with the gifts that are sent to his like. Beware of being bad to your neighbor. Beware of being bad to the neighbor, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6016 They said, "Who, O Messenger of Allah?" He swore three times denying faith from him. Yes, he swore to deny faith from him. Who is he? The answer is: Sahih Muslim 46 Meaning he cheated him and wronged him. And this indicates the importance of being good to the neighbor and not being bad to him. Now, what is your opinion of a man who has a neighbor and he raises the volume of the radio with songs whose listening is forbidden? Is he being good to his neighbor or being bad to him?
The student: Being bad to him.
The Shaykh : He is being bad to him. First, because he forces him to listen to what is forbidden. Second, because he disturbs his peace with the sounds. Although I tell you that listening to forbidden sounds does not carry sin. The sin is in the act of listening. Who among you is the hero who knows the difference between hearing and listening? What Allah willed. May Allah increase the heroes in the truth. One, two. Now, please, you are the first one who raised his hand.
The student: Listening is when one intends to listen. As for hearing, he does not intend it; he is just a passerby or hears it against his will.
The Shaykh : You have spoken well. Perfect. The listener who intends to listen pays attention and listens. This one is a partner to the speaker in his sin. As for the one who hears, as the brother said, he did not intend to listen. I am sitting in my house, and my neighbor has raised the volume of the radio with forbidden songs. I do not listen, I do not want to, and I do not pay attention to it. But this, perhaps in the end, yes, perhaps what? He listens. Now,[An-Nisa 4:36].
the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away
والجار ذي القربى والجار الجنبThe student: A neighbor who is a relative.
The Shaykh : We call him a neighbor who is a relative, a close one. The neighbor who is not a relative: his house is next to yours, and next to you is a man you do not know and who has no connection to you. What do we call this? A neighbor who is not a relative, meaning distant. Allah the Exalted began with the neighbor who is a relative because the neighbor who is a relative has two rights: the first right is kinship, and the second is neighborliness. One begins with the most important, then the next most important. The neighbor, my brothers, has a right; he has a right over his neighbor. He must honor him; he must honor his neighbor, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
he who believes in Allah and the Last Day should treat his neighbour with kindness
من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليكرم جارهwhen you prepare the broth, add water to that and give that (as a present) to your neighbour.
إذا طبخت مرقةً فأكثر ماءها وتعاهد جيرانكJibril – may the Salawat of Allah be upon him – continued to recommend me about (treating) the neighbors so (kindly and politely), that I thought he would order me to make them heirs.
مازال جبريل يوصيني بالجار حتى ظننت سيورثهThe student: No.
The Shaykh : No. If you sent him a vessel of food, he would consider it an insult. But honor him with the gifts that are sent to his like. Beware of being bad to your neighbor. Beware of being bad to the neighbor, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!
والله لا يؤمن والله لا يؤمن والله لا يؤمنwhose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct
من لا يأمن جارُه بوائقهThe student: Being bad to him.
The Shaykh : He is being bad to him. First, because he forces him to listen to what is forbidden. Second, because he disturbs his peace with the sounds. Although I tell you that listening to forbidden sounds does not carry sin. The sin is in the act of listening. Who among you is the hero who knows the difference between hearing and listening? What Allah willed. May Allah increase the heroes in the truth. One, two. Now, please, you are the first one who raised his hand.
The student: Listening is when one intends to listen. As for hearing, he does not intend it; he is just a passerby or hears it against his will.
The Shaykh : You have spoken well. Perfect. The listener who intends to listen pays attention and listens. This one is a partner to the speaker in his sin. As for the one who hears, as the brother said, he did not intend to listen. I am sitting in my house, and my neighbor has raised the volume of the radio with forbidden songs. I do not listen, I do not want to, and I do not pay attention to it. But this, perhaps in the end, yes, perhaps what? He listens. Now,