Maintaining ties with an uncle when there is a dispute between him and the father

Question:
There is a dispute between my father and my uncle over worldly matters. Is it permissible for me to maintain ties with my uncle, even if that does not please my father?

Answer:
Yes, yes. If there is a dispute between your uncle and your father over worldly matters between them, there is no harm in advising both of them to resolve the dispute. In fact, it is prescribed for you to do so, and it is obligatory for you if you are able to resolve this problem and mediate between them with good. This is because it is maintaining family ties, it is dutifulness to your father, and it is maintaining ties with your uncle. Therefore, it is obligatory for you and your brothers to resolve the problem to the best of your ability through advice and assistance, until this difficulty is removed, and until the hearts are reconciled and purified. If that is not possible, or if you are unable to do so, there is no harm in maintaining ties with your uncle in a good manner that is far from offending his father. It should be a discreet way in which you do good to your uncle and advise him, but it remains hidden from your father so that he does not become upset with you, and so that you do not wrong him. However, it should be a method that combines both benefits: preserving your father’s state with you, and maintaining the family tie with your uncle in a way that benefits him. If he is in need or poor, this could be through money, or through other types of support that benefit him and help him in obeying Allah and in resolving the problem. But it must be done in a way that does not wrong your father, and your father must not find out about it, so that the situation between you and your father does not worsen further.