How to Maintain Family Ties
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Question:
The questioner asks: How is maintaining family ties done, Your Eminence?
Answer:
Maintaining family ties is done through gifts, through visiting, through kind words over the phone; all of these are maintaining ties. If you visit your brothers, or your uncles, or your aunts at their homes, you greet them, you give them a gift, you help them with money, all of this is maintaining the family tie. You speak to them on the phone: "How are you?" If visiting is not feasible for you, speak on the phone: "How are you? How are your children? Is there any need?" This is how the believer is with his relatives, with his brothers, with his uncles, with his maternal uncles, with his paternal aunts, with his maternal aunts, with his cousins, and so on.
Severing the family tie is a major sin. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:[Muhammad 47:22] Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed, so He has made them deaf and blinded their sight. [Muhammad:22-23] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 1696Sahih (Al-Albani) And maintaining the family tie is an obligation, a great virtue, and one of the characteristics of the believers.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 56 And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 5991 If they are cold to him, he does not leave them. If they are cold to him and abandon him, no, he maintains ties with them, he visits them, he gives them gifts, he invites them to the wedding feast, he becomes better than them, kinder than them. This is the one who fully maintains ties, who maintains ties with them even if they sever them, and gives to them even if they withhold from him. This is the most complete.
As for the one who gives to those who gave to him, and maintains ties with those who maintained ties with him, he is only a reciprocator. But the one who fully maintains ties, who has the great reward, is the one who maintains ties with them even if they sever them, gives to them even if they do not give, consoles them, and cares for them even if they are cold to him. Like this. A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have relatives who maintain ties with me and I sever ties with them, and I am patient with them and they are rude to me." He said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 52 Because he maintains ties with them and they sever ties with him, he is patient with them and they are rude to him, he is kind to them and they are unkind to him. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: If you are patient, then you are upon great good: Sahih Muslim 2558a Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner asks: How is maintaining family ties done, Your Eminence?
Answer:
Maintaining family ties is done through gifts, through visiting, through kind words over the phone; all of these are maintaining ties. If you visit your brothers, or your uncles, or your aunts at their homes, you greet them, you give them a gift, you help them with money, all of this is maintaining the family tie. You speak to them on the phone: "How are you?" If visiting is not feasible for you, speak on the phone: "How are you? How are your children? Is there any need?" This is how the believer is with his relatives, with his brothers, with his uncles, with his maternal uncles, with his paternal aunts, with his maternal aunts, with his cousins, and so on.
Severing the family tie is a major sin. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says:
So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship?
فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ Anyone who cuts off relationship from his nearest relatives will not enter Paradise.
لا يدخل الجنة قاطع رحمThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Anyone who wants to have his provision expanded and his term of life prolonged should maintain ties of kinship.
من أحب أن يبسط له في رزقه، وأن ينسأ له في أجله؛ فليصل رحمهAl-Wasil is not the one who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him.
ليس الواصل بالمكافي، ولكن الواصل الذي إذا قطعت رحمه وصلهاAs for the one who gives to those who gave to him, and maintains ties with those who maintained ties with him, he is only a reciprocator. But the one who fully maintains ties, who has the great reward, is the one who maintains ties with them even if they sever them, gives to them even if they do not give, consoles them, and cares for them even if they are cold to him. Like this. A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have relatives who maintain ties with me and I sever ties with them, and I am patient with them and they are rude to me." He said:
If things are as you said, it is as if you were putting hot ashes on them and you will not lack a supporter against them from Allah as long as you continue to do that.
إن كنت كما قلت لكأنما تسفهم المل، ولا يزال معك من الله ظهير عليهم ما دمت على ذلكIf it is so as you say, then you in fact throw hot ashes (upon their faces) and there would always remain with you on behalf of Allah (an Angel to support you) who would keep you dominant over them so long as you adhere to this (path of righteousness).
لئن كنت كما قلت لكأنما تسفهم المل، ولا يزال معك من الله ظيهر عليهم مادمت على ذلكThe presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.