25:15 The worst thing, one…28:51 The fact that she is a…
Civic engagementFrom the masjid's own video, Dec 5, 2025.

Good neighbors rebuild healthy communities

MCC · Osama Abdl Haleem

“One of the worst things that you can do in this world is to be someone who brings harm to their neighbors.”

The khateeb, at 25:15

Watch the khutbahFamily kit
In one sentence

Rebuilding healthy communities begins with prophetic neighborliness: do no harm, patiently bear harm, and actively care for neighbors, Muslim or non-Muslim.

The khutbah in 5 steps

  1. The Prophet’s warnings establish neighbor safety and rights as serious matters of faith.
  2. Neighborliness has three levels: avoiding harm, patiently bearing harm, and actively caring.
  3. The sermon applies these levels to gossip, noise, parking disputes, food-sharing, and community trust.
  4. Prophetic neighborliness extends equally to non-Muslim neighbors and can make Islam known through consistent goodness.
  5. Rebuilding neighborly care can strengthen families, communities, societies, and the wider Ummah.
Try this week
Examine your conduct at home and remove anything that harms your neighbors.
Bear ordinary disruptions from neighbors patiently rather than escalating immediately to authorities.
Get to know your neighbors and actively care for their needs.
Share soup, extra food, or other acts of hospitality with nearby households.
Quotes

In the khateeb's words

“The worst thing, one of the worst things that you can do in this world is to be someone who brings harm to their neighbors.”
MCC · North Park, IL
Play from 25:15
“The fact that she is a good neighbor is itself an act of ibadah that makes up for the fact that she's doing very little else in her life”
MCC · North Park, IL
Play from 28:51
Talk about it at home

For the dinner table

The khutbah teaches that being a good neighbor is part of faith, not merely good manners. We should first make sure our homes and words do not harm nearby people, then patiently handle ordinary harms that come our way. As we grow, we should actively care for neighbors, share food, and notice their needs. This duty applies to Muslim and non-Muslim neighbors alike. Strong neighborhoods can help rebuild families, communities, and a more merciful society.

  1. What is one way our family might make a neighbor feel safe this week?
  2. When is it hard to be patient with a neighbor, and how can we respond?
  3. What food or kindness could we share with someone nearby?
Where it was given

The masjid

Muslim Community Center4380 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60641Jumu'ah Khutbah 1:05 PM · Iqamah 1:30 PMArchiveAll khutbahs at MCC14 khutbahs
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