4 hadiths on neighbours
and good neighbourliness
Avoiding harm, sharing a meal and welcoming a small gift: four hadiths for those who live near us.
A neighbour may be someone we pass every morning without really knowing them. They sometimes hear what happens in our home, share an entrance or experience the consequences of our habits. Good neighbourliness therefore concerns kind gestures, but also what we need to stop doing so another person can live peacefully.
The four hadiths gathered here begin with an insistent recommendation from Jibril, the angel Gabriel. They then address a more direct requirement: that the neighbour be safe from the harm we might cause. Two further sayings concern food and modest gifts. They show that consideration for a neighbour does not depend on a large budget or an already close relationship.
Article contents
Jibril insists on treating neighbours well
The context of the narration
‘Aishah reports that the Prophet ﷺ spoke of Jibril’s repeated recommendations concerning the neighbour. He described their insistence with these words:“Jibril kept recommending the neighbour to me until I thought he would make him an heir.”
Read the Arabic text
مَا زَالَ يُوصِينِي جِبْرِيلُ بِالْجَارِ حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُ
Understanding this hadith
The mention of inheritance conveys the degree of insistence. The Prophet ﷺ describes what he thought in response to these recommendations; the hadith does not say the neighbour became an heir. Keeping this distinction avoids turning the account’s image into an inheritance rule.
The neighbour is singled out because of proximity. Ask whether something from your home affects them: repeated noise, a water leak or objects left in a passageway.
Greeting someone you pass, giving notice of an avoidable disturbance or introducing yourself after moving in are possible applications. You can choose what suits your building or street without demanding intimacy the neighbour does not want. Treating someone well can also mean respecting their peace and reserve.
The neighbour must be safe from our harm
The context of the narration
Abu Shurayh reports that the Prophet ﷺ repeated three times: “By Allah, he does not believe!” Those present asked whom he meant. He replied:“The one whose neighbour is not safe from his harm.”
Read the Arabic text
الَّذِي لاَ يَأْمَنُ جَارُهُ بَوَايِقَهُ
Understanding this hadith
The Prophet ﷺ repeats his warning three times before identifying the person whose neighbour fears their harm. He addresses harm inflicted on a neighbour, not simply the absence of friendship.
Before looking for a generous gesture, you may need to stop a nuisance for which you are responsible: a blocked entrance, threatening words or avoidable noise. Asking your neighbour what disturbs them can reveal a problem unnoticed from your own home.
The warning’s strength calls each person to examine their deeds. It does not give a reader authority to declare their neighbour non-Muslim during a conflict. Nor does good neighbourliness ask someone suffering harm to keep silent: describing facts to someone able to help may be necessary to stop the damage.
The guide on speech also develops the responsibility of someone who harms others.
Setting aside a share of a meal for neighbours
The context of the narration
Abu Dharr reports advice personally addressed to him by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet takes the very simple example of preparing broth:“O Abu Dharr, when you prepare broth, add more water and remember your neighbours.”
Read the Arabic text
يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ إِذَا طَبَخْتَ مَرَقَةً فَأَكْثِرْ مَاءَهَا وَتَعَاهَدْ جِيرَانَكَ
Understanding this hadith
A meal intended for the household can become an opportunity to share. The advice comes at the preparation stage: allowing more lets you think of someone else before everything is distributed. The text speaks of broth without asking for an exceptional dish.
The closest application is offering a portion of what you cook. Today, asking first whether it would be welcome allows consideration of the person’s tastes and constraints. If they decline, their refusal does not cancel the good intention or justify reproaching them.
There is no need to wait for a neighbour to ask or a festival to provide an occasion. You can also offer a meal to a temporarily busy family after a birth or during illness. Sharing benefits from staying simple, without making the recipient indebted.
If your neighbour is ill, also see advice on arranging a visit and useful help.
Not despising a small gift
The context of the narration
Abu Hurayrah reports words the Prophet ﷺ addressed to Muslim women. He takes the example of a very modest portion of food to speak of exchanges between women who are neighbours:“O Muslim women, let no woman despise what comes from her neighbour, even if it is only a sheep’s foot.”
Read the Arabic text
يَا نِسَاءَ الْمُسْلِمَاتِ لاَ تَحْقِرَنَّ جَارَةٌ لِجَارَتِهَا وَلَوْ فِرْسِنَ شَاةٍ
Understanding this hadith
The sheep’s foot here denotes something of little value. The example prevents consideration from being reserved for substantial gifts alone. A present’s small size is not enough to justify contempt.
For the recipient, this invites avoiding immediate comparison with what they would have preferred. You can thank the thoughtfulness without commenting on price, simplicity or what other neighbours gave. If you cannot consume what is offered, it remains possible to say so respectfully.
Placed beside the advice about broth, this hadith makes exchange accessible: one person thinks of sharing, the other does not disparage what is offered. A small gift does not necessarily call for a more expensive one in return.
In practice
- A nuisance is within your controlBegin by stopping what disturbs your neighbour’s safety or peace.Read the warning about harm caused
- You have just moved inIntroduce yourself simply and learn how shared spaces are used.Read Jibril’s recommendation
- You are cooking for your householdOffer a portion to a neighbour and check that it suits them.Read the advice about broth
- You receive a modest giftGive thanks without comparing its value with other gifts.Read the hadith on small gifts
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 6014Jibril insists on treating neighbours well
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 6016The neighbour must be safe from our harm
- Sahih Muslim · 2625bSetting aside a share of a meal for neighbours
- Sahih al-Bukhari · 6017Not despising a small gift