According to Mr. Ahmed-Zaid 1400 years ago his faith, Islam, outlined the following steps to good neighborliness:
- Help them if they ask for your help
- Give them relief if they seek your relief
- Lend them money if they need a loan
- Show them concern if they are distressed
- Nurse them when they are ill
- Attend their funeral when they die
- Congratulate them if something good happens to them
- Empathize with them if a calamity befalls them
- Do not block their air by raising your building high without their permission
- Do not harass them
- Give them a share when you buy provisions
In today's mobile society, we sometimes fail to make the connections to our neighbors like our parents or grandparents made. Consider the new neighborhood, one that includes co-workers, persons we meet every day on a bus or at a store, persons we see only in passing and those we see more often because we make a conscious decision to join a group, a club, or even an online community. It takes a little extra effort to extend what were once commonplace courtesies because so often we are rushed to make it to our next appointment or so engrossed in our lives that we fail to notice those around us.
However, being civil, decent, respectful human beings has not gone out of style. I challenge you to open your eyes and smile as you go through each day and work at being a good neighbor. Slow down, take in your surroundings and be courteous to everyone you meet. Step outside of the routine and extend your help and kindness to others. Praise others for their accomplishments and be humble in your own. Live in the faith that the world is on your side as long as you are true to the best that is in you.
Share kindness and you will be rewarded with the same. The world needs good neighbors.