Islam lays great emphasis on good social behavior. Once a companion of the Prophet Mohammed asked him what Islam was, to which the Prophet replied, "Islam is pleasant talk and serving of food." Pleasant talk here represents good mutual relationships with people and good manners and serving of food represents hospitality and friendliness. God Almighty, Allah, has given each person rights in Islam. These are known as "Haquk-ul-Ibad" meaning "Rights of Fellow Humans". In this articles some of such rights are stated through narration of Hadith.

Saying of the Prophet Mohammed on Social Life

Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said,
"Every Muslim has six rights over another Muslim,
1 - When he is ill, the other Muslim should visit him
2 - When he dies, the other should offer his funeral prayer
3 - When he invites, he should accept the invitation
4 - When he meets him, he should greet him with Salam.
5. When he sneezes, he should respond to him by saying Yar Hamak Allah (May Allah have mercy on you)
6 - Whether he is present or absent, he should show goodwill to him.

The Prophet also said, "You cannot enter paradise until you become a True Believer and you cannot become a True Believer until you harbor love for each other. Shall I not tell you of a way upon which, if you act on it, will create Mutual love among you? ....It is that you salute each other very clearly with Salam.

It is part of the Islamic way of life to greet people with the greeting Salam Alaikum which means 'Peace be upon you'. This is the greeting chosen by God for the people of this Earth and was used by all the prophets and their followers, including Moses, Noah, Adam, Abraham, Jesus and Mohammed (may peace be upon them all). The Prophet said, "The rider must salute the pedestrian, the one on foot must salute him who is seated, and a smaller group should salute the larger group. The younger should salute the old. He nearest to Allah is the one who is first to offer salutation. When you enter a house salute those who are in it and when you come out of it bid them farewell with your salutation. When two Muslims meet and shake hands they are forgiven their minor sins even before they separate."

The Prophet talked about visiting the sick and taking care of your neighbors. Once addressing the people present he said, "A visit to the sick person is perfected when you place your hand on their forehead or hand and ask them how they are. And a greeting is perfected when you shake hands too."

Here are various sayings of the Prophet Mohammed on social life and rights of people, they have been shortened so that it is easier to read and remember them, sources are given in green.

He amongst the Muslims has a perfect faith who is well-mannered and behaves with his family members very mildly and kindly. (Tirmizi)

Allah is Ar-Rehman (Most Merciful). Ar-Rehman is Merciful who show Mercy. (Tirmizi & Abu Dawood)

Have mercy on the people of Earth, The Owner of Heaven will have Mercy on you. (Tirmizi & Abu Dawood)

Do not be ashamed of doing any good deed even if it is small. For doing something is better than doing nothing. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Even greeting someone with a smile is charity and holds good deeds (Tirmizi)

It is sinful to revile a Muslim and to fight with him is to disbelieve. (Bukhari & Muslim)

A Muslim should not curse other people. (Muslim)

Support the good and abolish the evil in your society. (Bukhari)

If anyone considers themselves pious and looking down upon people arrogantly says that other people are involved in bad deeds, then he is the one to whom the statement applies more than it does to those people. (Muslim)

The worst of men on the day of resurrection will be the two faced man who went to one people with one face and to others with another face. (Bukhari & Muslim)

He who gives up disputing while he was on the wrong will have a palace built for him on the edge of Paradise. (Tirmizi)

He who gives up disputing while on the right will have a palace built in the center of Paradise. (Tirmizi)

He who is well mannered will have a palace built for him in the loftiest parts of Paradise. (Tirmizi)

Give up disputing and arguments for they shave off your faith like a blade which shaves off hair. (Abu Dawood)

He is not a strong man who knocks down someone but he is a strong man who checks himself when he is angry. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Do not mimic anyone and do not find faults in them even if it were to benefit you. (Tirmizi)

Do not accuse people of sins, because you do not know if they have already repented and God has already forgiven them. (Tirmizi)

He who accuses another Muslim of a sin for which he has already repented, then the accuser will not die until he has committed that sin himself. (Tirmizi)

Be humble so that no one boasts over another and no one oppresses anyone else. (Muslim)

Do not boast about your dead ancestors to suppress others. All mankind are children of Adam and Adam was created from dust. (Tirmizi & Abu Dawood)

If you love someone be moderate in showing your love for he might become the cause of your anger someday. (Tirmizi)

If you dislike someone be moderate in your dislike for he may becomes your beloved someday. (Tirmizi)

No one should make another person get up so that he may sit. Instead make room for each other and spread out. (Bukhari & Muslim)

If anyone gets up from a gathering and goes out somewhere then he has no more right to his place when he comes back. (Muslim)

He who likes that other people stand before him while he is seated should take a place in hellfire for himself. (Tirmizi)

Do not sit between two men without their permission. (Tirmizi)

It is a Muslim's due that when his brother sees him/her he should move aside for his sake. (Bukhari)

When one of you yawns they should place their hand over his mouth. (Muslim)

Respond to him who sneezes three times with Yarhamak Allah. But if he sneezes more than this, you may not respond to him if you like. (Tirmizi)

The believers in their mutual pity, love and affection are like one body. When one organ is in pain the whole body has fever and becomes restless. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Help your brother when he is oppressed. (Bukhari & Tirmizi)

Help your brother when he is the oppressor by stopping him from oppressing. (Bukhari & Tirmizi)

Do not desert your brother when he is being disgraced and humiliated because on the day of judgment if you didn't help your brother when he was helpless then Allah will leave you helpless when you are in need of help. (Abu Dawood)

If you help your brother when he is being disgraced and humiliated, Allah will help you on the day of judgment when you are in need of help. (Abu Dawood)

He who defends the honor of another Muslim will have Allah remove the fire from his face on the day of resurrection. (Tirmizi)

A Muslim should not tyrannize any people but instead he should help them.  (Abu Dawood)

A Muslim who removes the anxiety of another Muslim on this Earth, Allah will remove one of his anxieties on the day of resurrection. (Abu Dawood)

If anyone helps the oppressed to get them their rights, the on the day of resurrection Allah will keep them steady on the bridge to paradise. (Bukhari, Muslim & Tirmizi)

Each of you is a mirror for his brother. Therefore if anyone finds a stain on it he should remove that stain. (Tirmizi)

Invite people to good for you will get as many rewards as earned by those people who listen to you and follow the advice without anything being deducted from their reward. (Bukhari & Muslim)

He is not one of us [i.e. Muslim] who does not show compassion to the young and respect to the old. (Tirmizi)

Refrain of holding bad opinions of others (Tabarani)

Those who posses better character will be more dearer and seated closer to me [i.e. The Prophet] on the day of resurrection. (Tirmizi)

The ones most disliked and stated furthest from me [i.e. The Prophet] on the day or resurrection will be the ones who are boastful and big-mouthed and speak unnecessarily. (Tirmizi)

It is enough for a man to be a liar that he goes on repeating things without verifying its truthfulness. (Muslim)

Do not backbite one another, backbiting is when you make mention of someone in such a way that he would be displeased to hear it. (Abu Dawood & Tirmizi)

If you speak of a person behind their back and that evil is found in him even then you are guilty of backbiting. (Abu Dawood & Tirmizi)

If you speak of a person behind their back and that evil is not found in them then you are guilty of slander. (Abu Dawood & Tirmizi)

Keep away form jealousy for jealousy eats away piety the same way fire devours wood. (Abu Dawood)

It is not lawful for a believer to sever relations with another believer for more than three days no matter what the cause. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Do not express pleasure at the hardships of others. Let it not happen that Allah release them and involve you in it. (Tirmizi)

The one most liable to the wrath of Allah is the one who is very quarrelsome. (Bukhari)

Mildness will adorn everything it is found in, but if removed from it, will make it defective. (Muslim & Abu Dawood)

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There are many more sayings by the Prophet, this was just a collection of some of them to give the reader an idea of how Islam encourages mutual co-operation and goodness in society. Please always remember that the actions of a Muslim may not necessarily reflect the teachings of Islam since we are all liable to sin. In today's world often non-Muslims start to judge Islam based on the actions of a few bad Muslims they may have met. To know Islam properly one must go to the source which is the Quran and the example which is the Sunnah (life style) of the Prophet Mohammed