“Believers are in relation to one another as (parts of) a structure, one part of which strengthens another’’, and he inserted the fingers of one hand amid those of the other (so as to conjoin his two hands)” (Bu. 8:88).
“Do not hate one another and do not be jealous of one another and do not boycott one another, and be servants of Allāh as brethren; and it is not lawful for a Muslim that he should sever his relations with his brother for more than three days” (Bu. 78:57).
Finally, in his last pilgrimage sermon at Minā, the Holy Prophet said: “Surely Allāh has made sacred to you your blood and your property and your honour as this day of yours is sacred in this month of yours in this city of yours” (Bu. 25:132).
Kindness and good relations with one’s neighbours are separately mentioned in a number of ḥadīth. The Holy Prophet said: “Whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day should not harm his neighbour and whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day should honour his guests” (Bu. 78:31). According to another report the Holy Prophet said: “Gabriel continued to enjoin me with good treatment towards the neighbour until I thought he would make him heir of the property (of the deceased neighbour)” (Bu. 78:28). Kindness and generosity towards one’s servants and employees is also separately mentioned in a number of ḥadīth (e.g., Bu. 2:21, 78:39) with the injunction to treat them on a basis of equality. But most of all, emphasis has been placed on kind and good behaviour towards the widows and orphans, as explained earlier in this chapter.
The home is the unit of human society and the human happiness and stability of the society depends to a large extent on the stability of the home and the happiness which prevails in it. As the male and the female together make the home, it was necessary to bring about a right understanding of their positions and relations. Women, before the time of the Holy Prophet, were regarded as property of their husbands. They could not themselves own property nor carry out transactions in their own names. It was a perfect revolution in the existing social order which Islām brought about. Even in the earliest