Why you should be nice to your neighbour

zainab quadri

July 2, 2015 1:30 PM

For those who seek out to do good deeds consistently, our neighbours are a goldmine of opportunity waiting to be embraced.

___3931046___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___3931046___2015___7___2___14___bigstock_Adult_Helping_Senior_In_Hospit_5315879

Prophet Mohammed said:

Now in a time when Muslims are constantly scrutinized for how they engage, the act of serving our neighbours is something we need to give deep thought. We see many great initiatives emerge on striving to showcase the beauty of Islam. We see major projects, numerous PR campaigns to improve the ‘Muslim’ brand, but are we overlooking an effective dawah strategy close to home?

It seems that if we were to invest our time in making consistent and small gestures at a community level and reaching out to our neighbors regardless of their religion or ethnicity, we could achieve a remarkably positive impact on our communities insha’Allah. You may be asking, why do I say this so confidently? Well, because the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessing be upon him) gave us this advice.

Read How should a Muslim relate with Non-Muslims?

In the hadith that I opened this article with, the narration begins by calling to all those who have faith (imaan) – the implications are enormous as generosity and kindness to our neighbours is essentially being linked to the most fundamental concept of belief.

Reasons to Serve your Neighbour

For those who seek out to do good deeds consistently, our neighbours are a goldmine of opportunity waiting to be embraced. Showing kindness and generosity to our neighbors is a virtuous deed that does not require much time or effort. The Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of examples, and we should learn from his behavior towards his neighbours. He (Peace and blessings be upon him) would visit them when they were sick, send them food, share wealth with them, and much more. He was the model neighbor and his practices were such that all of us could emulate without too much difficulty insha’Allah.

Many of us are out there trying to save the world, when in reality we don’t even know our own neighbours.

Finally I want to close on this note: these current times present phenomenal opportunities to engage with our neighbors who are in need. There are people around the world who are going through challenges, and whilst we can only do so much – it is important to remember that you can make a change in YOUR locality.

Therefore, dearest Muslims, Reviving this prophetic tradition with sincerity will not only be a good deed insha’Allah, but it would also challenge the stereotype and call people from darkness to light.

zainab quadri