Some neighbors do not know one another, and others are absent from the mosque prayers; what is the obligation of the mosque imam toward them?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In some neighborhoods, people truly do not know one another as neighbors, and we also find that they are frequently absent from the mosque prayers. What is the obligation of the mosque imam toward the neighborhood, O Shaykh Muhammad?
The Shaykh : The mosque imam bears a greater responsibility than others. Otherwise, it is obligatory for all the people of the neighborhood to know one another and be friendly. If they were to set aside a night every week,
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : to gather on that night, or every two weeks, or at least once a month, to discuss the problems they face and to help one another, that would be better.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : The imam should constantly encourage them to do this and should be keen to read books that explain the rights of the neighbor, what is obligatory for him, what is forbidden regarding encroaching upon him, and the like. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The caller is from Syria, O esteemed Shaykh Muhammad, he says.
The Shaykh : The mosque imam bears a greater responsibility than others. Otherwise, it is obligatory for all the people of the neighborhood to know one another and be friendly. If they were to set aside a night every week,
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : to gather on that night, or every two weeks, or at least once a month, to discuss the problems they face and to help one another, that would be better.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : The imam should constantly encourage them to do this and should be keen to read books that explain the rights of the neighbor, what is obligatory for him, what is forbidden regarding encroaching upon him, and the like. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. The caller is from Syria, O esteemed Shaykh Muhammad, he says.