First Khutbah
Indeed, all praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him, we seek His help and we ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray; and whomever He leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
﴿يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًۭا كَثِيرًۭا وَنِسَآءًۭ﴾
“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women.”
Dear brothers and sisters, many of us live in apartment blocks, terraced streets and busy neighbourhoods. We share walls, staircases, parking spaces and bins with people we hardly know. Some of our neighbours are Muslims, many are not. Yet Islam has a great deal to say about the person who lives next door — more, perhaps, than many of us realise.
A right placed beside the worship of Allah
Listen to how Allah lists the neighbour in the same verse as His own worship:
﴿وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِهِۦ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَٰنًۭا وَبِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْجَارِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْجَارِ ٱلْجُنُبِ وَٱلصَّاحِبِ بِٱلْجَنۢبِ﴾
“Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side”
The scholars of tafsir mention that the near neighbour includes the one who lives closest to you and the one who is also your relative, while the neighbour farther away includes the one who is further off or who is not your relative or not of your faith. The verse does not limit kindness to Muslim neighbours; every neighbour has a right.
And the Prophet ﷺ told us how strongly this right was emphasised to him: “Gabriel continued to recommend me about treating the neighbors Kindly and politely so much so that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs” [Sahih al-Bukhari 6014].
Faith and the neighbour
The Prophet ﷺ tied the neighbour directly to faith. He said: “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day should do good to his neighbour” [Sahih Muslim 48].
And he warned, in some of the strongest words he ever used: “By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!” When they asked who, he said: “That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil” [Sahih al-Bukhari 6016]. In another narration: “He will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct” [Sahih Muslim 46].
Think about what evil to a neighbour can look like today: loud music or parties late at night, blocking their driveway, leaving rubbish outside their door, smoke drifting into their windows, children allowed to damage their property, staring into their home, or spreading gossip about their family. None of these may feel like a major sin to the one doing it. But the Prophet ﷺ measured faith by how safe the neighbour feels.
The standard of excellence
Avoiding harm is the minimum. The Prophet ﷺ set a higher standard: “The companion who is the best to Allah is the one who is best to his companion. And the neighbor that is the best to Allah is the one that is best to his neighbor” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1944, graded sahih by al-Albani].
How do we become the best to our neighbours? The Prophet ﷺ gave practical, simple advice:
- Share your food. He told Abu Dharr: “Abu Dharr, when you prepare the broth, add water to that and give that (as a present) to your neighbour” [Sahih Muslim 2625]. Not a feast — just a little extra from what you are already cooking.
- Do not belittle small gifts. “O Muslim ladies! A neighbouress should not look down upon the present of her neighbouress even it were the hooves of a sheep” [Sahih al-Bukhari 6017].
- Start with the closest. When Aisha asked which of two neighbours to give a gift to, he said: “To the one whose door is nearer to you” [Sahih al-Bukhari 2259].
- Be easy-going about shared spaces. “No one should prevent his neighbor from fixing a wooden peg in his wall” [Sahih al-Bukhari 2463].
Allah even criticises those who refuse small everyday help:
﴿وَيَمْنَعُونَ ٱلْمَاعُونَ﴾
“And withhold [simple] assistance.”
Lending a ladder, taking in a parcel, checking on an elderly neighbour during a cold spell, offering a lift in an emergency — these are the ma'un of our time.
I say these words and I ask Allah's forgiveness for myself and for you, so seek His forgiveness; indeed He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
All praise is due to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, his family and his companions.
Dear brothers and sisters, what if your neighbour is the difficult one? A man came to the Prophet ﷺ complaining about his neighbour. The Prophet ﷺ first told him to be patient. When he came back again, the Prophet ﷺ advised him to put his belongings out in the road; people passing by asked him what had happened, and soon the neighbour came and said: “Return, you will not see from me anything which you dislike” [Sunan Abi Dawud 5153, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani]. Patience comes first, wisdom comes next, and harm is never answered with harm.
For many people, the only Muslim they know well is the one who lives next door. Your neighbour may never read a book about Islam, but they will read you: your greeting in the morning, your help when their car will not start, your quiet home at night, your plate of food at Eid. Let them see in us the character of the Messenger ﷺ.
So this week, let each of us do one thing: knock on a neighbour's door with a small gift, introduce yourself to someone new on your street, or simply ask an elderly neighbour if they need anything.
Allah has commanded us to send blessings upon His Prophet:
﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا﴾
“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.”
As the Prophet ﷺ taught us to say: “O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your Blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious” [Sahih al-Bukhari 3370].
O Allah, make us a source of safety and goodness for our neighbours, and make our homes and streets places of peace. O Allah, beautify our character and make us a means of guidance for those around us. Forgive the believing men and women, the living and the dead.
﴿رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ﴾
“Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Servants of Allah, remember Allah and He will remember you; be grateful to Him and He will increase you. And establish the prayer.