Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right (Part 32)

Commentary on Imam Sajjad’s (AS) Treaties of Right by Mohammad Sobhanie.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَأمّــا حَقُّ الجَارِ فَحِفْظُهُ غَائِبًا وَكَرَامَتُهُ شَاهِدًا ونُصْرَتُهُ وَمَعُونتُهُ فِي الحَـالَينِ جَمِيعــاً. لا تَتَّبعْ لَهُ عَوْرَةً ولا تَبحَثْ لَهُ عَنْ سَوْءَ[ةٍ] لِتَعْرِفَهَــــــــــا، فَإنْ عَرَفْتَهَــــــا مِنْهُ عَنْ غَيْرِ إرَادَةٍ مِنْكَ وَلا تَكَلُّفٍ كُنْتَ لِمَــــا عَلِمْتَ حِصْنـــاً حَصِينـــاً وَسِتْرًا سَــــــــــــتِيرًا، لَوْ بَحَثتِ الأَسِنَّةُ عَنْهُ ضَمِيرًا لَمْ تَتَّصِلْ إلَيْه لانطِوَائِهِ عَلَيهِ. لا تَسْــتَمِعْ عَلَيهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَـــمُ. لا تُسَلِّمْهُ عِنْدَ شَـــــــــــديدَةٍ، ولا تَحْسُدْهُ عِنْـــــــــــدَ نِعْمَةٍ.

تُقِيلُ عَثْرَتهُ وتَغْفِرْ زَلَّتَـــــــــهُ. ولا تَدَّخِرْ حِلْمَكَ عَنْهُ إذَا جَهِلَ عَلَيْــــــــــــــــــكَ، ولا تَخرُجْ أَنْ تَكُونَ سُلَّمًا لَهُ. تَرُدُّ عَنهُ لِسَانَ الشَّتِيمَةِ، وَتُبْطِلُ فِيهِ كَيْدَ حَـــــــــــامِلِ النَّصِيحَةِ، وَتُعَــــــاشِرَهُ مُعَاشَرَةً كَرِيمَةً. وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إلا باللهِ.

The Right of the Neighbor (32nd)

Translation: Our neighbor’s right is that you should be a guardian of his interest when he is absent, honor him when he is present, and assist and support him in both situations. You should avoid looking for his flaws or seeking to know his faults. But if you discover any of his shortcomings unintentionally, you should take the role of (regarding what you know) a fortified stronghold and a veiling screen. You should guard them so they cannot be discovered, even if they are thoroughly inspected with spears. Avoid eavesdropping on him; support him in hardship, and do not envy his blessings.

Forgive his mistakes and pardon his slips, and do not lose your temper when he behaves out of ignorance with you. Support your neighbor and defend him when others scold him. Divulge for him the deception of those who give him ill advice and associate with him respectfully. And there is no power nor any strength but in God.

Commentary: Imam Sajjad (AS) outlines neighbors’ rights, which are important responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Neglecting these rights can lead to a breakdown of trust and unity in the community, resulting in a less harmonious living environment. Some of these responsibilities are as follows:

We must protect their interests in their absence (فَحِفْظُهُ غَائِبًا), respect them when they are present (وَكَرَامَتُهُ شَاهِدًا), and support and assist them in both situations (ونُصْرَتُهُ وَمَعُونتُهُ فِي الحَـالَينِ جَمِيعــاً).
We should avoid looking for their flaws (لا تَتَّبعْ لَهُ عَوْرَةً) or seeking to know their faults (ولا تَبحَثْ لَهُ عَنْ سَوْءَ[ةٍ] لِتَعْرِفَهَــــــــــا). However, if we become aware of them unintentionally (فَإنْ عَرَفْتَهَــــــا مِنْهُ عَنْ غَيْرِ إرَادَةٍ مِنْكَ), we must completely conceal them from others so that no curious person can ever find out about them (وَلا تَكَلُّفٍ كُنْتَ لِمَــــا عَلِمْتَ حِصْنـــاً حَصِينـــاً وَسِتْرًا سَــــــــــــتِيرًا). We should guard them so that none of them can be discovered, even if they are thoroughly searched, like searching for a needle in a haystack. (لَوْ بَحَثتِ الأَسِنَّةُ عَنْهُ ضَمِيرًا لَمْ تَتَّصِلْ إلَيْه لانطِوَائِهِ عَلَيهِ).
We should not spy on neighbors like eavesdropping (لا تَسْــتَمِعْ عَلَيهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَـــمُ).
We should neither forsake them when they face hardship, such as illness or financial difficulties (لا تُسَلِّمْهُ عِنْدَ شَـــــــــــديدَةٍ), nor envy them when they are most comfortable and at ease (ولا تَحْسُدْهُ عِنْـــــــــــدَ نِعْمَةٍ).
We should be ready to forgive our neighbors’ mistakes (تُقِيلُ عَثْرَتهُ) and overlook their shortcomings (وتَغْفِرْ زَلَّتَـــــــــهُ). It’s crucial not to lose our temper when they act ignorantly toward us but to respond with patience and understanding. This act of forgiveness fosters a compassionate and understanding community. (ولا تَدَّخِرْ حِلْمَكَ عَنْهُ إذَا جَهِلَ عَلَيْــــــــــــــــــكَ)
We should always support our neighbors (ولا تَخرُجْ أَنْ تَكُونَ سُلَّمًا لَهُ). For instance, we should stand up for them when others scold them (تَرُدُّ عَنهُ لِسَانَ الشَّتِيمَةِ), showing them they are not alone in their difficulties.
We must be willing to inform our neighbors about the poor advice they receive (وَتُبْطِلُ فِيهِ كَيْدَ حَـــــــــــامِلِ النَّصِيحَةِ) and honorably associate with them (وَتُعَــــــاشِرَهُ مُعَاشَرَةً كَرِيمَةً).

Imam Ali (AS) in his will regarding neighbors said [1]:

اللّه َ اللّه َ في جِيرانِكُم فإنَّهُم وَصيَّةُ نَبيِّكُم ، ما زالَ يُوصي بِهِمْ حتّى ظَنَنّا أنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُم .

(Fear) Allah (SWT) [and] be kind to your neighbors; this is what the Prophet (PBUH) has bequeathed. He kept reminding them (neighbors) until we thought that he would make them his heirs.

The Prophet (PBUH) said to his companions: “Do you know what the rights of neighbors are?” The companions replied: “No.” The Prophet (PBUH) enumerated them as follows [2]:

Assist him when he requests your help.
Provide him with a loan if he asks for one.
Visit him during financial difficulties.
Offer your support during hardships and console him in times of calamity.
Extend congratulations to him on his achievements.
Visit him when he is unwell.
Participate in his funeral procession upon his passing.
Avoid constructing a tall building that obstructs the wind from reaching him unless you have his permission.
When you buy fruit, you should share it with your neighbors or bring it discreetly so they do not see it. Your children should not take it out where their children can see it, as it may upset them.
Respect his privacy and boundaries. Avoid annoying him with the smell of your cooking unless you offer him some.

In another Hadith, Imam Sadiq (AS) said [3]: “Whoever harms his neighbor will be deprived from Allah’s (SWT) Mercy.” (مَلْعُونٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَنْ آذَى جَارَهُ).

The Prophet (PBUH) said [4]:

قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ : مَنْ آذَى جَارَهُ حَرَّمَ اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ رِيحَ اَلْجَنَّةِ وَ مَأْوٰاهُ جَهَنَّمُ وَ بِئْسَ اَلْمَصِيرُ وَ مَنْ ضَيَّعَ جَارَهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا وَ مَا زَالَ جَبْرَئِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ يُوصِينِي بِالْجَارِ حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُ.

The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said: Whoever harms his neighbor, Allah (SWT) will forbid him the scent of Paradise, and his abode will be Hell, and what an evil destination it is. Whoever neglects his neighbor is not one of us. Gabriel (AS) kept advising me about the neighbor until I thought he would make him an heir.

The Right of Neighbor in the Qur’an: The word “Jār” in Arabic means “protection [5].” The neighbor is also called “Jār,” as if a neighbor must protect his neighbor. Verse 4:36 (An-Nisa) advises believers to be good to their neighbor:

وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْجَارِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْجَارِ الْجُنُبِ … ‎﴿٣٦﴾

And to parents do good and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away.