Are you a good neighbor?

If you are not giving yourneighbors their due rights, then you are
missing an important part of your duties as a Muslim.
A neighbor is someone who lives in the same neighborhood as you; he
could be a friend, but does not necessarily haveto be one. The
definition of a neighbor can have various meanings; for example, it
can refer to someone who lives directly beside you, as the
Prophetsaid:"One must not prevent his neighbor from placing his wood
against his wall."[Al-Bukhaari].
However, it can also referto someone living furtheraway, since the
Prophetsaid:"No obligatory Salaah (prayer) is accepted from a neighbor
of the Masjid (mosque) except if it is offered in the Masjid."
Present day examples would include machines and equipment that emit
disturbing noises. If people do anything on their property that is
disturbing or harmful to their neighbors, then they must remove the
cause of the disturbance.
2. It is permissible for people to build a house on their own
property, even up against their neighbor's wall -- but only if they
have no other choice and only if their neighbor is not harmed by it in
any way. Even in such cases, they should still ask their neighbor's
permission beforehand.
If they are denied permission, their neighbor may be legally compelled
to grant them permission by the properauthorities. The proof forthis
is in a Hadeeth related by Abu Hurayrahwho said that the Prophetsaid:
"You must not prevent your neighbor from putting his wood on your
wall."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].
3. If the flow of water becomes blocked on a farm, perhaps due to
wastefulness and subsequently bursts out, causing damage to
neighboring farms, the neighbors may come up with proposals to channel
or dam the water and irrigate the farm. If the wasteful farmer refuses
to comply with them, the ruling is the same as in the following case
of a damaged wall.
4. If a wall between two properties is damaged, the owners of one
property can ask the owners of the other to participate in rebuilding
it. If they refuse, they canbe compelled to do so. Likewise, they can
be compelled to help demolish the wall if it is expected to collapse.
5. The owners of the highest buildings in an area must construct
screens to prevent themselves from overlooking their neighbor's
properties. Likewise, whoever wishes to utilize their roof should make
sure that they cannot see into their neighbor's properties and erect a
screen for this purpose if necessary.
6. Whoever owns some property, but cannot reach it without causing
damage to a neighbor's property is forbidden to cause the damage.
Instead, the authorities should endeavor to arrange matters in a way
that prevents harm to either party.
Thus, even though our neighbors may be Muslimor non-Muslims -- each
are equally entitled to their rights according to our religion.
Sometimes we may find it hard to reach out to our non-Muslim
neighbors, but it is an obligation upon us, and it can also be one of
the best forms of Da'wah (call to Islam) we can give.