While Our Neighbor Goes Hungry

Hunger can be an intimidating ordeal for many, especially when experienced over a prolonged time. Well, what if a person's stomach is full, but his soul is hungry? Spiritual hunger should not be taken lightly. It destroys the peace of this world and the happiness of the hereafter. Moreover, it does not give comfort to its surroundings.

Believers are constantly pursuing worship deemed acceptable in the sight of Allah, striving to raise respectful sons and daughters at home, have cherished relationships with their relatives, and be exemplary neighbors in their neighborhoods. Islam doesn’t only arrange our life of worship, but also all our human relations in a perfect balance at every level. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:

''...And to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess.” (An-Nisa, 36)

When relationships are broken

In our age, when the concern for material possessions takes precedence over everything else, and love for wealth and status fills people’s hearts, we see our human relations beginning to show cracks. One particular type of human relation most affected by the fractures that have long been threatening to break into fault lines and shake the very foundations of our social structure is neighborhood relations. However, as mentioned in the verse, above as well as in many hadiths, neighbors’ rights are emphasized with remarkable sensitivity. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a famous hadith:

“Jibril kept recommending treating neighbors with kindness until I thought he would assign a share of inheritance.” (al-Bukhari, al-Adab, 28)

When we listen to this hadith with an open heart, the underlying connotation of these words shakes us to our very core. This is particularly striking because, in Islamic law, inheritance is possible only for those who are related by blood. So the wealth and property left behind by a person are inherited by those closest to them in terms of blood relation. With the expression “I thought he would assign a share of inheritance,” Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) pointed out that neighbors’ rights are almost as significant as those born of blood ties.

In another hadith stating to what extent Islam places value on neighborliness, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“He who harms his neighbor has harmed me, and he who harms me has harmed Allah, and he who fights his neighbor has fought me, and he who has fought me has fought Allah Almighty.” (Abu Nuaym)

It is understood from this hadith that fostering good relations with our neighbors is not an optional virtue but a religious requirement. Rasulullah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) command stating, “Be a good neighbor so you can become a true believer!” is one of the guiding principles in this regard.

So close yet so far

In today's cities, where people live in tightly packed housing and highly concentrated populations, neighbors do not know or even attempt to become acquainted with each other, even if they have enough religious sensibilities to understand how essential Muslim solidarity is. People living in close proximity to each other, even next-door neighbors, do not approach each other with neighborly gestures of kindness and friendship due to prejudice. More often than not, such unsubstantiated suppositions are the biggest roadblocks to building cordial connections.

So despite living in colossal crowded cities filled with towering apartment blocks, people remain in self-imposed social confinement. This mentality gives rise to one of the most significant artificial crises of our time, as people have social needs even if their whole lives are bound up in seamless material gratification. One’s neighbor is the nearest hand one can hold onto for support and the most easily reached lifeline in an emergency.

One's need for their neighbor is not narrowed to only during times of catastrophe. Sometimes a person may feel distraught due to any of the many stressors in life. And they might wish to look for someone with whom they can have a cup of tea and share their sorrows. The same principle applies even when people are blissful and experience joyous occasions. Even pleasant and blissful times will feel hollow and lessened if there is no one with whom to share them.

He who closes his door to his neighbors shuts himself off from the very place where he lives, the most immediate environment surrounding his home. Yet this is where he should take the first steps to break the bubble of isolation and find ways to thrive socially with others outside his family. A person’s neighborhood is the low-hanging fruit they can reach when wanting to share the finer things in life and precious moments with others. Furthermore, involving ourselves in our neighborhoods is a perfect remedy for the chronic urban solitude we all feel our lives are increasingly steeped in.

A close neighbor is a great blessing, especially in traditional settings where women stay home all day while men are at work. Ladies who work at home all day still need social interaction and the refreshing feeling of exchanging kind, sincere greetings and heartwarming words.

Our relatives abroad

Today, many people leave their hometowns and villages to find better jobs and secure higher living standards. For example, one son is appointed to a position in one corner of the country while another is engaged in trade in another part of it. And the daughter, when her time comes to leave the nest, becomes a bride and ends up in an entirely different country... Through the course of life, family members and relatives may gradually drift away in different directions to the point that family gatherings become a luxury and relatives who used to be close see each other only during meaningful occasions, such as the eids.

People's closest ones are their parents and relatives. In the case of families scattered across multiple countries, borders separate entire generations, and children are deprived of the affection of their grandparents and cannot establish strong bonds with their relatives. Just as adult family members feel each other’s absence abroad, children also feel this lack of vital emotional support. However, all these missing elements are needed to make healthy contributions to the personality development and socialization of a child.

If we can bring our neighborhood relationships to the level and firmness that Islam requires of us, our senior neighbors will be like our children's grandparents. The children will see in them the compassion, maturity, and decency we see in the elders of our families. And the neighbors’ kids will be excellent friends and playmates for ours.

A full stomach and a hungry heart

There is a hadith referred to frequently that tells the ideal relationship between neighbors—a precious lesson in the spiritual and social sense: “He is not a true believer whose stomach is filled while the neighbor to his side goes hungry.”

According to this hadith, Muslims traditionally do not neglect to deliver the food they cook to their neighbors, especially those in need, even if only a bowl. This beautiful tradition, which is about to fade away into little more than fond memories, is a deed that reinforces both neighborly relations and iman. The great Companion Abu Dharr stated that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) wanted this from him:

“My friend (the Messenger of Allah) bade me: ‘Abu Dharr, when you prepare the broth, add water to that and give that (as a present) to your neighbor.” (Muslim, Al-Birr, 142) Well, what if our neighbor's stomach is full, but his soul is deprived of sustenance? Spiritual hunger should not be taken lightly. It destroys both one’s peace in this world and their happiness in the hereafter. Moreover, such a malnourished soul creates distress that affects other people’s lives as well.

Especially today, people are hungry for the truth, enlightenment, and serenity Islam promises. Just as believers cannot stand by and watch as their neighbors struggle to put physical food on the table, they also cannot ignore their silent cries for help as their neighbors’ souls wither with spiritual hunger. We should do our duty and invite our close neighbors to meet the truth of Islam, help them along its righteous path and encourage them to live a life dedicated to doing the good work that pleases Allah (jalla jalaluhu). We should make an effort to come together with our neighbors, particularly in gatherings of sohbah and dhikr, which are sumptuous feasts for the human soul.

It is crucial for neighbors to fulfill their responsibilities towards each other, both in terms of attaining peace in this mortal life and happiness in the hereafter. May Allah make us good to our neighbors and our neighbors to us.

THE RIGHTS OF NEIGHBORS OVER EACH OTHER

• To greet each other with salam when they meet,
• To help in their time of need, even if they do not express their need,
• To lend money depending on what our budget allows or alleviate their financial distress when they are in dire straits without expecting anything in return,
• To visit when they are sick
• To attend the functions they invite us to, such as weddings or mawlids, to congratulate them,
• To support them and stand with them if they find themselves in a predicament,
• To visit them and host them with considerate, gracious hospitality when they arrive as  guests,
• Not to cook, eat, or drink in open areas if there is no opportunity to serve them as well,
• To warn our children about eating and drinking on the street, reminding them to think about the neighbors’ children who may not be able to enjoy the same delicacies as them,
• To be careful not to make noise in a way that disturbs our neighbors,
• Not to occupy or obstruct public spaces in sites such as apartment complexes and residential compounds; For example, we need to consider the neighbors’ need for entrance and exit to the building and access to parking spaces when parking their vehicles, 
• To shop from our neighbors who are shop owners and support their trade
• To be patient with any unpleasantness from a neighbor,
• To initiate dialogue with new neighbors or old ones that we may have neglected to get acquainted with,
• To make peace with our neighbors if they are offended for any reason and maintain cordial relations with them,
• To postpone noisy renovations and repairs to avoid interrupting our neighbors’ rest times.

Selim Uğur