Neighbours

كتاب الْجَارِ

Chapter 12: A person should not injure his neighbour

'Umara ibn Ghurab reported that an aunt of his told him that she asked 'A'isha, Umm al-Mu'minin, "If a woman's husband desires her and she refuses to give herself to him either because she is angry or not eager, is there anything wrong in that?" "Yes," she replied. "Part of his right over you is that if he desires you when you are on a saddle, you must not refuse him." She said, "I also asked her, 'If one of us is menstruating and she and her husband only have a single cover, what should she do?' She replied, 'She should wrap her wrapper around her and sleep with him. He can have what is above it. I will tell you what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did on one of his nights with me. I had cooked some barley and made loaf for him. He came in, stopped at the door, and then went into the mosque. When he wanted to sleep, he closed the door, tied up the waterskin, turned the cup over and put out the light. I waited for him and he ate the loaf. He did not go until I fell asleep. Later he felt the cold and came and got me up. "Warm me! Warm me!" he said. I said, "I am menstruating." He said, "Then uncover your thighs," so I uncovered my thighs and he put his cheek and head on my thighs until he was warm. Then a pet sheep belonging to our neighbour came in. I went and took the load away. I disturbed the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he woke up, so I chased the sheep to the door. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Take what you got of your loaf and do not injure your neighbour's sheep."'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A person whose neighbours are not safe from his evil will not enter the Garden."

Chapter 13: A woman should not disdain anything which her female neighbour

'Amr ibn Mu'adh al-Ashhali reported that his grandmother said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Believing women! Do not let any of you women disdain her female neighbour's gift, even if it is only a burnt sheep's hoof.'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Muslim women! Muslim women! A woman should not disdain her female neighbour's gift, even if it is only a sheep's hoof."

Chapter 14: The neighbour's complaint

Abu Hurayra said, "A man said, 'Messenger of Allah, I have a neighbour who does me harm.' He said, 'Go and take your things out into the road.' He took his things out into the road. People gathered around him and asked, 'What's the matter?' He replied, 'A neighbour of mine injures me and I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He told me, "Take your things out into the road."' They began to say, 'O Allah, curse him! O Allah, disgrace him!' When the man heard that, he came out to him and said, 'Go back to your home. By Allah, I will not harm you.'"

Abu Juhayfa said, "A man complained to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about his neighbour. The Prophet said, 'Take your bags and put them in the road and whoever passes them will curse him.' Everyone who passed him began to curse that neighbour. Then he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'How many people I met!' He said, 'The curse of Allah is on top of their curse!' Then he told the one who had complained, 'You have enough,' or words to that effect."

Jabir said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to complain to him about the enmity of his neighbour. While he was sitting between the Corner and the Maqam, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, approached with a man who was wearing a white garment. They went to the Maqam where they were praying for the dead. He went up to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'May my mother and my father be your ransom, Messenger of Allah! Who is this man I see with you wearing the white garment?' 'You saw him?' he asked. 'Yes,' the man replied. He said, 'Then you have seen much good. That was Jibril, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the Messenger of my Lord. He kept on recommending that I treat my neighbours well until I thought that he would order me to make them my heirs.'"

Chapter 15: Someone who harms his neighbour until he forces him to

Thawban said, "When two men cut each other off for more than three days and one of them dies, then they both die while relations between them are severed and both of them are destroyed. There is no man who wrongs his neighbour to the extent that he forces him until he makes him leave his home who is not destroyed."

Chapter 16: A Jewish neighbour

Mujahid said, "I was with 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr while his slave was skinning a sheep. He said, 'Boy! When you finish, start with the Jewish neighbour.' A man there exclaimed, 'Jewish? May Allah correct you!' He replied, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recommend that we treat our neighbours well until we feared (or we thought) that he would order us to make them our heirs.'"