Rights of Neighbors, Relations, etc.

Also among the rights of a Muslim with every other Muslim:

• To greet them when you meet them. The Prophet (sas) said:

لَا تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا أَوَلَا أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ بَيْنَكُمْ .

You will never enter Paradise until you believe and you will never believe until you love one another. Should I not direct you to something that when you do it you will love one another? Spread the greeting among you.

The ruling of giving the greeting is that it is highly recommended (mustahabb) and should be done much or as much as possible. This is seen in the Prophet's (sas) word afshoo or "spread" the salaam among you. However, no individual act of giving the greeting is obligatory except where there is a specific order from the Lawgiver such as upon entering a home.

• To return the greeting when it is given to you.  Allah said:

النساء

وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُمْ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَسِيبًا(86)

{And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in reply] with something better than it or return it [in kind]. Verily, Allah is ever taking careful account of all things.} An-Nisaa:86

The ruling of returning the greeting is that it is obligatory (wajib) and it must be given. Even if one is given a highly suspect greeting by a non-Muslim, it is nonetheless "returned" by taking the second option in the verse to "return it [in kind]". This is done by saying "wa 'alaikum". This "returns" to the other party whatever they intended toward you with their greeting.

• To make the du'a for them when they sneeze and say "al-hamdu lillahi". The du'a you say is "yarhamuka allah" meaning, "May Allah have mercy on you." The Prophet (sas) said:

إِذَا عَطَسَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلْ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلْيَقُلْ لَهُ أَخُوهُ أَوْ صَاحِبُهُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَإِذَا قَالَ لَهُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَلْيَقُلْ يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ

When one of you sneezes, he should say al-hamdu lillahi (praise is to Allah). And let his brother or his companion say yarhamuka Allah (may Allah have mercy on you). And when he says "May Allah have mercy on you", let him (the one who sneezed) say yahdeekum Allah wa yuslihu baalakum (May Allah guide you and rectify your affairs). (Al-Bukhari)

The du'a yarhamuka Allah (called tashmeet) is only given to one who remembered to say al-hamdu lillahi upon sneezing. If they forget to say it, then nothing is said to them.

عَطَسَ رَجُلَانِ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَشَمَّتَ أَحَدَهُمَا وَلَمْ يُشَمِّتْ الْآخَرَ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ شَمَّتَّ هَذَا وَلَمْ تُشَمِّتْنِي قَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا حَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَلَمْ تَحْمَدْ اللَّهَ

Two men sneezed in the presence of Allah's Messenger (sas). He (sas) gave tashmeet to one of them but not to the other. The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, you gave the tashmeet to this man but not to me. He (sas) said, "This man gave praise to Allah, but you did not give praise to Allah." (Al-Bukhari).

If you sneeze and a non-Muslim says something to you from his tradition, you may say to him what you would say to a Muslim i.e., "May Allah guide you and rectify your affairs" but if he is the one who sneezes, you do not say to him "May Allah have mercy on you." Rather, you can say the third phrase instead.

• Visiting them when they are ill.
• Witness their funerals
• Respond to their invitation
• Come to the aid of the oppressed

From the hadith:

أَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِسَبْعٍ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ سَبْعٍ أَمَرَنَا بِاتِّبَاعِ الْجَنَائِزِ وَعِيَادَةِ الْمَرِيضِ وَإِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي وَنَصْرِ الْمَظْلُومِ وَإِبْرَارِ الْقَسَمِ وَرَدِّ السَّلَامِ وَتَشْمِيتِ الْعَاطِسِ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ آنِيَةِ الْفِضَّةِ وَخَاتَمِ الذَّهَبِ وَالْحَرِيرِ وَالدِّيبَاجِ وَالْقَسِّيِّ وَالْإِسْتَبْرَقِ

The Prophet (sas) ordered us with seven things and prohibited us seven things. He (sas) ordered us to follow the funeral processions, visit the sick, respond to invitations, help the oppressed, fulfill our oaths, return the greeting and make the du'a for one who sneezes. He (sas) prohibited us silver utensils, gold rings and ... [he (sas) then mentioned four kinds of silk]. (Al-Bukhari)

• Give your sincere, unconditional, selfless and unbiased advice when they seek it from you.

حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ سِتٌّ قِيلَ مَا هُنَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِذَا لَقِيتَهُ فَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَإِذَا دَعَاكَ فَأَجِبْهُ وَإِذَا اسْتَنْصَحَكَ فَانْصَحْ لَهُ وَإِذَا عَطَسَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَشَمِّتْهُ وَإِذَا مَرِضَ فَعُدْهُ وَإِذَا مَاتَ فَاتَّبِعْهُ

The rights of every Muslim over every other Muslim are six. It was said, What are they or Messenger of Allah? He said, "When you meet him, give him salaam, when he invites you, respond to his invitation, when he seeks your sincere advice, give your sincerity to him, when he sneezes and praises Allah make the du'a for him, when he is sick visit him and when he dies follow him (i.e., his funeral procession).

• Among thei rights of Muslims is that you not harm any Muslim with word or deed in their presence or their absence.  Allah said:

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ(1)

{Woe to every humaza (those who harm others with their tongues in their presence) and lumaza (those who harm others with their tongues in their absence)} Al-Humaza:1

And, from the hadith:

قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ الْإِسْلَامِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ

They said, O Messenger of Allah (sas),w hich Islam is best? He (sas) said, "The one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe."

• A Muslim must be humble with other Muslims and have no arrogance toward any of them.

مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ وَمَا زَادَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا بِعَفْوٍ إِلَّا عِزًّا وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ

Sadaqa (i.e., zakat) never decreased any wealth. Allah never increased a slave for his forbearance anything but might. No one humbles himself for Allah but that Allah raises him.

• Never listen to what they deliver to you from the words of others and do not transport the words of others to them.
• Even in anger, a Muslim can never cut off relations from another Muslim who they know for more than three days.

لَا يَحِلُّ لِرَجُلٍ أَنْ يَهْجُرَ أَخَاهُ فَوْقَ ثَلَاثِ لَيَالٍ يَلْتَقِيَانِ فَيُعْرِضُ هَذَا وَيُعْرِضُ هَذَا وَخَيْرُهُمَا الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ بِالسَّلَامِ

"It is not lawful for anyone to turn away from his brother beyond three days turning away from each other whenever they meet. The best of them is the one who restarts the greeting."

Another version of this hadith says that if the other one return the greeting, they both share in the reward. If the other one does not return the greeting, then the first one achieves complete innocence of all that went before, but not the one who failed to return the greeting.

KNOW that this hijra (turning away or cutting off relations) is in what pertains to this life only. As for affaris of the deen, it is obligatory to cut off relations from the people of bid'a (innovation), following of desires (which are contrary to the deen) and people of disobedience. This cutting off is obligatory, should continue and there is no limit on it of three days or any other period. It must continue unless and until they show clear repentance and return to the truth.