Manama: Saudis have poured scorn on a religious tweet posted by the housing minister, saying that it should focus on providing housing services and not preaching.

More than 258,000 followers were surprised on Friday evening when they read the minister’s tweet quoting the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) about the significance of being generous towards neighbours.

“He who believes in God and in the Last Day must be generous to his neighbour. Generosity is among the most wonderful aspects of good neighbourliness in Islam.”

However, the tweet sparked angry and sarcastic comments by social media users, particularly those who have had issues with the ministry.

“You give us homes first so that we can have neighbours,” one user said, Saudi news site Sabq reported on Sunday.

“Give me a flat and I am willing to provide my neighbour three meals a day,” another user said.

An angry user said that the ministry was changing its mission and objectives and was now shifting its focus from providing houses to preaching religious values.

“It would be best to change the name from Ministry of Housing to Ministry of Spirituality,” a user witting under the moniker of “Mayor” posted.

Most users said that the ministry should avoid wading into controversies and should concentrate on carrying out its responsibilities “without resorting to provocations.”

“By adopting this line of preaching, the ministry is drawing the ire of people who are in deep need of housing solutions,” one user said.

According to reports in Saudi Arabia, 62 per cent of Saudi families owned homes in 2015, up from 60 per cent in 2010.

The number of Saudi families living in rented houses or apartments represented 34.8 per cent while the rest were Saudi families living in accommodation provided by their employers.

Slightly more than one third of Saudis (34.3 per cent) live in residential apartments, followed by independent homes. Residential villas come third in the figures.

The General Authority for Statistics says that the number of Saudis in 2016 reached 20,064,970 out of a total population of 31,742,308.