Sikander Hashmi – Good Neighbours KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
The community of the West is a community where neighbors can be extended family members. The community is a holy spirit, with words like "the holy spirit" and "the holy holy spirit" used to describe relationships with neighbors. The importance of being aware of one's neighbor's behavior and not harming them is emphasized, along with the need to be patient and be aware of one's neighbor's situation.
AI: Summary ©
It was
Respected elders,
dear brothers and sisters,
my young friends,
If I asked you
to list
all
the neighbors
that you have ever had,
there's a good chance
that you'll remember most of them.
Maybe not their names, but you'll remember who
they were, what they looked like, what they
were like,
and you might even be able to share
many stories
and details.
Because if you ask me, I know I
would be able to do that.
Since I was very young, I can tell
you almost
every single neighbor that we had and every
single,
city that we lived in.
And
this
is indicative, my brothers and sisters, of
the unique
relationship
that we have with our neighbors.
Right? In most cases, for most people nowadays,
they are not,
you know, our actual relatives
unless you're very fortunate to have your close
family right next to you. But for most
people, they're not actually your relatives.
But there's so much that we can relate
to by living beside each other.
Right? We see them
all the time.
We get to know their families. Even if
we don't actually
meet them and interact with them, you can
still observe and tell
what kind of family it is, what kind
of activities they're involved in, what kind of,
you know, choices they make, what kind of
behaviors they have, and so on and so
forth.
And in a sense,
the neighborhood
or the village becomes like an extended family.
Right? And as the old saying goes, it
takes a village to raise a child. Right?
Of course, it's becoming more and more,
distant perhaps in terms of
in terms of it actually happening, but we
get the sense that the neighborhood,
the people around
you, you know, the the village, it becomes
almost like an extended family.
Mujahid
Rahimahullah
narrated that
a sheep
was slaughtered for Abdullah ibn Amr radiAllahu anhu
a by a member of his family.
And when he came,
he said,
did you give some to our Jewish neighbor?
Did you give some to our Jewish neighbor?
Did you give some to our Jewish neighbor?
So he keeps asking that.
And then he says, for I heard the
messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam say
that
That Jibril
the angel Jibril alayhis salam kept urging me
to treat neighbors kindly until I thought
that he would make
neighbors
heirs.
Meaning
that
a command would come from Allah
saying that your neighbor is to have a
share in your mireth, in your inheritance.
And the same wording was narrated from Aisha
radiAllahu anha as well.
That Jibril kept urging me to treat treat
neighbors that the
prophet said that Jibril kept urging me to
treat neighbors kindly until I thought that he
would make neighbors ears or kept
talking about him, kept reminding about the
relationship with neighbors.
Now, of course, we know that this does
not happen, meaning,
you know, they have not been made into
inheritors
in Islamic law. But can you imagine,
you know, your neighbor passes away
and you get a share from their inheritance
and vice versa. When you go, your neighbors
also have a share from your inheritance.
Right? So this did not become part of
Islamic law.
And, depending on your situation, you might say
Alhamdulillah
or you might wish that, you know, perhaps
it had become
part of the teachings.
But the point here is that Rasulullah
was getting so much emphasis
from Jibril alayhis salaam
on being
good to neighbors,
on emphasis
regarding the relationship with neighbors that he thought
that this is what's gonna be next, or
this is where it's gonna
end, that we're gonna end up having to
share our inheritance. But that is not the
case. But the prophet
has associated
good treatment of neighbors,
not you know, he hasn't just
recommendation, but rather has associated
with belief in Allah and the last day.
Meaning,
a person who believes in Allah
and believes the last day is indicative a
believer. Right? A person who is a Muslim
who is a believer. So there's,
different narrations, different wordings that have been related
from the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
So for example, mankana yukminubillahiwalyomal
akhir falyukumjara.
That he who believes, the person who believes
in Allah and the last day should treat
the neighbors well as reported in Sahih Bukhari
and Sahih Muslim. And also,
He must not
or she must not do the neighbor any
harm.
Right? So on the one hand, there's instruction
to be good
and also not to do any harm. So
not to do any harm being the first
level. Okay. You're not good, but at least
you're you're not harming in any way. But
then also on top of that, to actually
be good and be kind towards one's neighbors.
Now when we think of, you know, not
harming,
right, you think of something,
you know, maybe something very serious,
like not injuring them or, you know, not
damaging their property and so on and so
forth, which is true. Of course, you should
not be doing that. But the harming also
includes words as well. And this is a
general principle that we should remember, that whenever
we hear, you know, injunctions or teachings about
not hurting others, when we hear about, Volum,
we hear about oppression,
and all of these teachings, they're not just
limited
to physical harm.
They're not just limited to, you know, actually
hurting someone physically,
but they include words as well. Abu Hurayrah
reported that a man said to the messenger
of
that you Rasool Allah, so and so person
prays,
fasts.
Okay.
And he was referring to, he said, fulanas,
so he's referring to a female
that such and such woman prays, fasts,
gives charity often. So she's doing all the
things that you would expect a good practicing
Muslim to do,
but
she harms her neighbor.
And how does she harm her neighbor? She
harms her neighbor with her sharp tongue.
How does he how does she harm her
neighbor? With her
sharp tongue. So the messenger of Allah, sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam said,
that she is in the fire, she will
be in the hellfire.
Then he said, you Rasulullah,
so and so, Fulana, a woman again, prays,
fasts,
and gives in charity very little. So she
does not pray much. She only does we
can assume the obligations. You know, she doesn't
do any extra prayers. She doesn't do, you
know, many extra fasts. She just does the
basic requirement,
gives in charity little, nothing extra, not much
extra.
But she does give some cheese, and she
does not harm her neighbor with her tongue.
So she is kind to her neighbor, she
shares
some food,
and she does not harm her neighbor with
her tongue. And the prophet
said,
She is in paradise. She will be in
Jannah.
You see my brothers and sisters,
the message we are getting here
from Rasulullah
as
shared in other teachings as well
that
our relationship with Allah
is obviously important.
The rights of Allah
are important, but the rights of his creation
and especially those who are around us and
those who are close to us are also
very important.
And
lacking
in one can affect the outcome of a
person,
including lacking in
having a good relationship with the people around
us, and particularly if a person is harming
those who are around them. So you think
about it that if this is the instruction
with regards to this is the guidance with
regards to our neighbors
who normally would not be related to us,
then imagine how much more emphasis there would
be and there is with regards to our
loved ones. The people we actually have relationships
with. People who are part of our family.
Right? Our spouse, our children, our parents,
right, our close relatives.
Right? So the deen of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala
is not
just focused on our relationship with him,
which is obviously very important, but also encompasses
our relationship with the people who are around
us, including
our neighbors. And by the way, this is
all regardless
of who they are and what they are
like. Sahafil ibn Hajar,
he
writes in his celebrated commentary of Sahih al
Bukhari Fathlari, he says,
The term neighbor.
When neighbor is being referred to in the
words of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam,
it includes
the Muslims
and
the deniers. It includes the disbelievers. Right? The
not just, you know, I don't wanna say
non Muslims, but disbelievers who do those who
reject the message of Allah and his message
of Allah
So it includes the Muslim and the kafir.
And it includes
the pious
and the impious.
Friend and foe.
Foreigner
and local.
The helpful and or the beneficial and the
hurtful.
Relatives
and strangers.
And
the closest homes and the first furthest homes
in the neighborhood.
So when we hear and learn teachings with
regards to neighbors, it includes
everyone.
It includes
everyone unequivocally.
It includes
everyone who is our neighbor and everyone who
is in our neighborhood, and we learn in
some teachings that our neighbors are up to
40 homes around us.
And I'm gonna think, okay, this is getting
hard,
especially with dense,
dense communities and populations. But just to give
you a sense
as to, you know, the the reach of
these teachings. So we're not just talking about
the people that you share a wall or
a fence with or a driveway with, but
you're talking about people in the surrounding neighborhood
as well. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam also
taught us care and concern for our neighbors.
The prophet said that he is not a
believer. A person is not a believer. The
one who sleeps
with a full stomach,
the one who sleeps
with a full belly, with a full stomach
while
their neighbor is hungry
and they know it.
Is aware that the neighbor is hungry,
is aware that they are struggling
and they're going to sleep hungry,
and they're suffering from
food insecurity,
and yet a person
fills their stomach and goes to sleep
satisfyingly.
This is not the conduct of a believer,
and this is even more pertinent today, my
brothers and sisters, as we know that food
bank use has increased dramatically.
Right? Because of the current economic financial situation,
there are a lot of people who are
struggling.
Right?
So especially at times like these,
it is
good.
It is important
to keep our ears and eyes open
if you get any sense. Right? If you're
not aware, then you're not held accountable. But
if you get a sense that there are
people in your neighborhood, especially your close neighbors,
who are,
under in difficulty
and they're struggling with their food, because they
say that usually food is the first thing
that goes.
Right? You have to pay your rent, otherwise,
it'll get evicted. You have to pay your
mortgage, otherwise, you're gonna have a foreclosure. You
know, you have to pay your bills, otherwise,
utilities will be cut off. You have to
do all those things. You have to put
gas in your car if you need to
drive to work, or you need to buy
the bus passes. So all the things that
you need to do, people, they can't, you
know, cut those things out. Otherwise, they're gonna
be in even serious trouble.
So what
ultimately gets bears the brunt
of a budget shortfall?
The first thing usually is food.
Right? And that is why we find that
food bank use, like I said, has increased,
dramatically.
So be on the lookout, please. And if
you get any sense, right, even if you
don't and you wanna
do what's best and what's better, reach out
even if you don't know whether there is
any difficulty or not. But especially if you
get a sense that
something might be amiss, then try your best
to look out for that neighbor, Insha'Allah.
Now all of these teachings, my brothers and
sisters, stem from the verse of the Quran
where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
Worship Allah and associate
nothing with him.
So Allah starts off with
the ever
important
instruction with regards to tawhid and the oneness
of Allah
but then goes on with
the relationships that are important.
Right? And to parents,
do good, ihsan, towards your parents,
and to your relatives,
and the orphans,
the needy.
But then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala starts referring
to neighbors.
Right? The near neighbor and the neighbor that
is further away.
Wasahibibilin
jam. The companion at your side.
The traveler. So if you look if you
think about this, if you reflect upon this
for a moment, it's not just
one type of neighbor that Allah has mentioned.
But instead, he gives different categories of neighbors.
Right? Including the one at your side. Right?
The companion at your side. You're traveling on
the bus, on the train, you have someone
sitting beside you.
Right? You're driving and there's people around you.
That in and of itself for those few
moments is a little community.
So people who are beside you, you're standing
in line somewhere, the people in front of
you and behind you at the airport, at
the passport office, wherever.
So these instructions,
this guidance to do good and to look
out for the people who are around us,
it's not just our neighbors
beside our homes.
Now it's true
that,
you know, sometimes,
we don't have the best of relations. Right?
That happens. Right? Maybe you had a dispute.
Maybe there was some issue. Maybe, I don't
know, whatever. Their kids cause you trouble, their
pets cause you trouble, or vice versa, whatever.
Like, there's some issue between
neighbors.
In those situations, my brothers and sisters,
do not reciprocate with negativity.
Hassan al Basri,
he said
that being a good neighbor is not
by refraining from harming, rather being a good
neighbor is to bear them.
Being a good neighbor
is not about just refraining from harming others.
That's a given as a believer. You're not
supposed to harm anyone anyone.
Right? Of course, there's extra emphasis on harming
your neighbors, but that's a given.
Right? But truly being a good neighbor is
to bear
harm
from your neighbor.
The prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam also
stated three times
that,
wallahi lai o'tman.
Wallahi lai o'tman. Wallahi lai o'tman. By by
Allah
does not have faith, does not believe.
By Allah he does not have faith. By
Allah he does not have faith. So it
was said, who is it you Rasulullah? Of
course, this is very concerning
that Rasulullah
is saying that someone does not have faith.
Is not a believer.
So the companions, they wanna know who is
this person,
what type of person is is the messenger
of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam talking about?
Because we don't wanna be like them. So
rasoolallahu
alaihi wa sallam says,
And in another narration,
they asked,
and he said,
he said,
The prophet
said that the neighbor who is not safe
from his harm.
So the person
whose neighbor is not safe, is not protected
from their harm,
he does not have faith, and we can
understand that to mean complete faith.
If I can pause for a second, please,
and please ask the brothers to move forward.
And then some masajid apparently, they ask you
to stand up and fill in all the
gaps, so I wanna ask you to stand
up, but please try to maybe sit as
you would sit insalaq,
Inshallah, we can that way we can fit
in,
more more brothers.
So
try to be self aware, my brothers and
sisters. Try to be conscious that am I
doing something that's causing harm?
Is there something related to me or my
property?
Right. So try to be aware. Try to
think from the perspective
of, your neighbors. Right. Maybe there's some noise,
that, you know, that that that maybe you're
making. Maybe you have a tree that's shedding
a lot of tree, a lot of leaves
in the fall, right, on your neighbor's property.
Maybe it's leaning over. Right? Maybe the roots
are going and harming, you know, damaging the
foundation. Maybe you have a contractor who's causing
trouble, right, and and leaving a mess, on
on your your your neighbor's,
property.
Little things sometimes, right? I remember I was
away for a couple of weeks, and I
had left a light on in the backyard,
like at the back door, just for safety.
And, my neighbor came, and I appreciated the
fact that he came. And he said that,
you know, that light is, is a new
I I noticed you put on a new
light. Is everything okay? So that was his
first question.
He didn't complain and say that this light
is bothering me. He said, I noticed you
turned on it. You left on a light.
Is everything okay? Is it even bothering you?
Like, why have you done this? Right? Then
he said, actually, it's quite bright and it's
shining right in my bedroom. So, you know,
I was looking for you. So can you,
you know, so,
it was one of those LED lights. You
could change the color and you can change
the brightness. So dealt with that. I apologize
to him because I didn't realize. Right? So
little things, right, maybe it's causing harm, but
that was a shortcoming on my part. I
never thought that it would actually, you know,
be that bright that it would be disturbing
him. But, you know, to have a good
relationship
and his example actually is
how we should approach situations.
He didn't come and say, oh, that light
is bothering me. You know, why did you
do this? No. 1st, he says, is everything
okay? You know, I noticed something different.
Then he said, yeah. You know, that if
you could please.
You know? So I really appreciated that. You
know?
Bless him and guide him. So my brothers
and sisters, you know, if you have a
situation, try to think, how can I make
a situation how can I make the situation
better? And if a person is hateful, it's
possible. You know, try to be patient. If
they're not causing you serious harm, you know,
maybe share a smile.
You know, give them something on aid. You
know, look after them a little bit. You
know, maybe they have misconceptions. Maybe they're a
little bit scared. Maybe they have, you know,
stereotypes about us and so on and so
forth. You know? But if you if if
it's if you feel threatened, if it's getting
serious, then of course, you take measures to
protect yourself and your family.
If there's anything very serious involved, then of
course, you can report it to the police,
report it to NCCM
depending on the nature of the threat and
so on. But try to start off
by being patient. Try to start off by
reaching out, try to start off with a
good way, and then you escalate if necessary.
A lot of times what happens
is we go from 0 to 100.
Something happens, when small happens, we jump. You
know? No level of escalation. We go straight
to, you know, making a huge issue out
of it. Right? So depending on the circumstances,
depending on the issue, deal with it wisely,
deal with it strategically
in stages.
And at some point, if it is necessary
to escalate, if it is a very serious
situation, then you deal with it accordingly.
So as much as possible,
try to be kind towards your neighbors, especially
your your next door neighbors. You know? And
you may be the only Muslim they interact
with. It's probably unlikely none because, masha Allah,
the number of Muslims are increasing. You know,
the new numbers came out, some Muslims are,
you know, approximately,
1,800,000
now in Canada, masha'Allah.
You know, so numbers are increasing. So it
is more and more likely that people will
have interact interactions with Muslims,
but
remember
that
one negative interaction
can cloud
a person's impressions and leave them with a
bad taste, which you don't want.
And they might be associating that with
everyone, with the entire community, with the deen
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. You know? So
always try to be careful and remember that
we are all ambassadors
of Islam.
Abdullah Nama
reported that the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said that the best companions to Allah
or the best companion to Allah is the
best to his companions.
The best companion to Allah is the best
to his companions.
And
the best neighbor to Allah
is the best to his neighbors.
So
having a good relationship with Allah
is linked to
being good with
our neighbors. May Allah
make us the best of neighbors. May Allah
grant us good companions
and good neighbors in this life and especially
in the hereafter.
We do have, request for dua for, brother
Waseem.
His father, passed away in India in