Maintaining family ties and not severing them
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Fatwa number ( 11288 )
Q: More than six years have passed, and my eldest brother is at odds with the one younger than him. He does not greet the other nor speak to him during this long period. The reasons for the anger or dispute relate to worldly matters, the most important of which is that one of them—namely the second one—wanted to build a room with its amenities next to the house and the small farm that our father left us, (may Allah have mercy on him). But my eldest brother says: We must demolish the aforementioned house and build a new residence in its place consisting of six apartments, one for each member of the family. The point is that the second one objected on the grounds that if the house is demolished, where will my mother and my younger brothers (I am one of them) live? The point is that opinions clashed and differed, and the old dispute between my eldest brother and the entire family after the death of our father, (may Allah have mercy on him), contributed to this. The summary is: each of us goes to our mother and tells her that he wants the best for all of us, and that the other wants nothing but his own interest (each one says this about the other). And after we grew up, we also tried
but to no avail, and each one wants the other to come to him and apologize. The calamity is that this dispute has extended to the families of both of them; the children do not see each other, and in fact, the children of my eldest brother do not speak to their uncle on the grounds that their father is at odds with him. Finally, O honorable Shaykh—what is the solution? And what is the advice that I can offer them so that perhaps they may reconcile? If they read the advice from your honor, perhaps their feelings will be moved, their hearts will soften, and Allah will guide them.
A : It is obligatory for your two brothers, the elder and the younger: to fear Allah and to respect His right in maintaining family ties and not severing them. The best of them is the one who initiates the greeting and forgives the other. Allah the Exalted said:[Muhammad 47:22-23] And Allah the Exalted said: [An-Nisa 4:1] meaning: Fear the relatives lest you sever them. And in the hadith of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 4211Sahih (Darussalam) It was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi said: It is an authentic hadith. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: More than six years have passed, and my eldest brother is at odds with the one younger than him. He does not greet the other nor speak to him during this long period. The reasons for the anger or dispute relate to worldly matters, the most important of which is that one of them—namely the second one—wanted to build a room with its amenities next to the house and the small farm that our father left us, (may Allah have mercy on him). But my eldest brother says: We must demolish the aforementioned house and build a new residence in its place consisting of six apartments, one for each member of the family. The point is that the second one objected on the grounds that if the house is demolished, where will my mother and my younger brothers (I am one of them) live? The point is that opinions clashed and differed, and the old dispute between my eldest brother and the entire family after the death of our father, (may Allah have mercy on him), contributed to this. The summary is: each of us goes to our mother and tells her that he wants the best for all of us, and that the other wants nothing but his own interest (each one says this about the other). And after we grew up, we also tried
but to no avail, and each one wants the other to come to him and apologize. The calamity is that this dispute has extended to the families of both of them; the children do not see each other, and in fact, the children of my eldest brother do not speak to their uncle on the grounds that their father is at odds with him. Finally, O honorable Shaykh—what is the solution? And what is the advice that I can offer them so that perhaps they may reconcile? If they read the advice from your honor, perhaps their feelings will be moved, their hearts will soften, and Allah will guide them.
A : It is obligatory for your two brothers, the elder and the younger: to fear Allah and to respect His right in maintaining family ties and not severing them. The best of them is the one who initiates the greeting and forgives the other. Allah the Exalted said:
(22) So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship? (23) Those [who do so] are the ones that Allah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their vision.
فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ (22) أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَصَمَّهُمْ وَأَعْمَى أَبْصَارَهُمْAnd fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَThere is no sin more deserving that Allah hasten the punishment in this world, in addition to what is stored up for him in the Hereafter – than injustice and severing the ties of kinship.
ما من ذنب أحرى أن يعجل الله تعالى العقوبة في الدنيا مع ما يدخر لصاحبه في الآخرة من البغي وقطيعة الرحم
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.