neighbours. Who should I give gifts to?’ The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم answered: ‘He whose door is close to you.’”^[1]

The famous commentator of the Quran, Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه adds:

From this hadith, we learn that the nearness of a neighbour is determined by the closeness of his door, not from his roof or walls. If the roof and walls of someone’s house are attached to yours but his door is distant from yours, he will be considered further away than a second person whose door is close to yours. This will remain the fact even if the second person’s house is not connected to yours. As the doors are closer to each other, you will be meeting and interacting with this neighbour a lot more than the other, especially during times of happiness or grief.

The renowned mufti further said:

This hadith does not imply that one must not give gifts to a distant neighbour at all. The overall meaning is to give gifts to all, but simply give your closer neighbour preference in this.^[2] 

In summary, this hadith teaches us how neighbours whose doors are close to ours are referred to as close, and those whose doors are further away are called distant. Allah has commanded us to treat them both with goodness.

40 houses are considered neighbours

In another blessed hadith, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم instructed a Companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ to stand by the masjid door and make