One Thursday night a long time ago, about a thousand four hundred years (1400) ago, one of the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings be upon him) was about to start a class and he made a strange (or was it) announcement: he said, "I urge everyone who has broken the ties of kinship to get up and leave us." Why did he make such a request? Lets us find out.
Abu Ayyub Sulayman, the mawla of Uthman ibn Affan, said, "Abu Hurayra came to us on a Thursday evening, the night before Jumua. He said, Every individual who severs ties of kinship is constricted when he leaves us. No one left until he had said that three times, Then a young man went to one of his paternal aunts with whom he had severed ties two years previously.
He went to her and she asked him, Nephew! What has brought you? He replied, I heard Abu Hurayra say such-and such. She said, Go back to him and ask him why he said that. Abu Hurayra said, I heard the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, say, "The actions of the children of Adam are presented before Allaah Almighty on Thursday evening, the night before Jumua. He does not accept the actions of someone who has severed ties of kinship."III (al-Adab al-Mufrad)
This is one of the high status of maintaining ties of kinship. There are several other virtues of keeping the ties and several warnings of punishments for breaking it. Imam an-Nawawi stated, "Joining the ties of kinship means to behave well with near of kin as the situation demands. Sometimes this is done by giving them charity, or spending on them, and other times it is done by serving them, or visiting them, or greeting them with the salam, and other such matters.
And it has also been said to be politeness, kind treatment, and concern for all ones relatives even if distantly related, corrupt, non-Muslim, or unappreciative" . The high Status of Joining ties of Kinship Narrated Abu Huraira (RA) The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allaah created the creations, and when He finished from His creations, Ar-Rahm, ie., womb, said, (O Allaah) at this place I seek refuge with You from all those who sever me (i.e. sever the ties of kith and kin).
Allaah said, Yes, wont you be pleased that I will keep good relations with the one who will keep good relations with you, and I will sever the relation with the one who will sever the relations with you. It said, Yes, Omy Lord. Allaah said, then that is for you." Allaah's Messenger added, "Read (in the Quran) if you wish, the Statement of Allaah:" Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship? (Q47.22)" (Bukhari) Narrated Abu Huraira The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The word Ar-Rahm (womb) derives its name from Ar-Rahman (i.e., one of the names of Allaah) and Allaah said: I will keep good relation with the one who will keep good relation with you, (womb, i.e. kith and kin) and sever the relation with him who will sever the relation with you, (womb, i.e. kith and kin)." (Bukhari)
The Peak Of lt: The peak of joining ties of kinship is that of being good to ones parents. They brought us into this world with permission of Allaah. The basis for which we are even talking about ties of kinship is that we are brought to this world by some people. If we are not in this world, we definitely will not be talking about it.
Allaah says: And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them word of disrespect, shout at them but address in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow mercy on them as they did bring me up when I was small" (Q 17: 23-24)
In this verse, Allaah tells us about some of the etiquettes that we must observe as well as the rights that they have over us. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also instructed one of his companions who wanted to participate in Jihad with him to go back and take care of his mother because Paradise lies at the feet of the mother. (Tirmidhi)
Virtues: It increases lifespan and wealth: Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allaah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, "Whoever is pleased that he be granted more wealth and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin. (Bukhari) It is away of doing good to parents after their death; Aboo Usayd (RA) reported that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Messenger of Allaah, can I do any good for my parents after they have died? He replied, "Yes, four things: supplication for them; fulfilling their obligations; honouring their friends; and maintaining the family ties that would not exist but for them." (Abu Dawud) It is a cause of Mercy descending On a people Abdullah ibn Awfa reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said, "Mercy does not descend on a people when there is someone among them who severs ties of kinship." (al-adab)
It is a means of acceptance ones dua. This is the benefit that comes through from one story of Uwais al-Qarni as told by Umar ibn Khattab. He reported: I heard Allaahs Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Worthy amongst the successors would be a person who would be called Uwais. He. Would have his mother (living with him) and he would have (a small) sign of leprosy. Ask him to beg pardon for you (from Allaah).
Usair b. Jabir (RA) reported that when people from Yemen came to help (the Muslim army at the time of jihad) he asked them: Is there amongst you Uwais b. Amir? (He continued finding him out) until he met Uwais. He said: Are you Uwais bin Amir? He said: Yes. He said: Are you from the tribe of Qaran? He said: Yes.: " He Umar (again) said: Did you suffer from leprosy and then you were cured from it but for the space of a dirham? He said: Yes.
He (Umar) said: Is your mother (living)? He said: Yes. He (Umar) said: I heard Allaahs Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say: There would come to you Uwais bin Amir, with the reinforcement from the people of I Yemen. (He would be) from Qaran, (the branch) of Murid. He had been suffering from leprosy from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been excellent. If he were to take an oath in the name of Allaah, He would honour that.
And if it is possible for you, then do ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from your Lord). So he (Uwais) begged forgiveness for him. The evils of severing the ties of kinship Maintaining the bonds of kinship indeed enjoys extraordinary importance in Islam. Conversely, severing the ties, is very high on the list of enormities, Allaah has cursed the one severing family ties, "And those who break the Covenant of Allaah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allaah has commanded to be joined (i.e. they sever the bond of kinship and are not good to their relatives), and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse (i.e. they will be far away from Allaahs Mercy); And for them is the unhappy (evil) home (i.e. Hell)." -(Q13:25)
And "Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land, and sever your ties of kinship? Such are they whom Allaah has cursed, so that He has made them deaf and blinded their sight." (Q47:22-23) A cursed person is one who is deprived of the mercy of Allaah. May Allaah save us from that. It is an indication of this deprivation that this sin is punished in this world as well as in the Hereafter. It hastens punishment in this world Narrated AbuBakrah (RA) The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no sin more fitted to have punishment meted out by Allaah to its perpetrator in advance in this world along with what He stores up for him in the next world than oppression and severing ties of relationship ." (Abu Dawud)
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings be upon him) . said, "Preserve your genealogies and join the ties of kinship for mercy will never be far from you if you keep them close, even if they live far away; and mercy will never come close to you if you keep them distant, even if they live close by. On the Day of Judgment every relationship will appear before those who have them and testify on behalf of him that he joined it, if indeed he joined it; or against him that he broke it, if he broke it."(al-Haakim) The doors of heaven are closed Against those who sever the ties.
Narrated Jubair bin Mutim (RA) that he heard the Prophet (peace saying, n The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Paradise." (Bukhari) AI-Amash said, "Ibn Masud was sitting down in company of a group after Fajr prayer one morning. He then said, "I implore every severer of the tie of kinship to leave this gathering of ours, for we want to supplicate to our Lord. The doors of the heaven are closed against those who sever the tie of kinship." (At- Tabarani) Even if your kins hurt you Maintaining ties of kinship goes beyond doing good to the relatives because they are also good to you. Rather, you will be considered to be maintaining ties of kinship you do good to them even when they do not reciprocate that; rather they hurt you instead.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The one who keeps good relations with his kith and kin (al-waasil) is not the one who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but alwaasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him." (Bukhari) . Narrated Abu Huraira (RA): "A person said: Allaahs Messenger, I have relatives with whom I try, to have close relationship, but they sever (this relation).
I treat them well, but they treat me ill. I am sweet to them but they are harsh towards me. Upon this he (the Prophet) said: Ifit is so as you say, then you in fact throw hot ashes (upon their faces) and there would a/ways remain with you on behalf of Allaah (an angel to support you) who would keep you dominant over them so long as you adhere to this ( path 0 f righteousness)." (Muslim) Yes... l like that.. .The most telling example in this regard is that of Abu Bakr (RI)).
Among the many people who benefited from his generosity was a relative Mistah (RA). The latter, unfortunately became involved in the scandal about the Mother of Believers, Aisha (RA), which was started by the leader of the hypocrites. It was a whole month of torment and torture for all involved, after which verses of Surah Noor (Q24) were revealed clearing her of any sin or wrong doing and prescribing punishment for those involved in the false accusation.
Feeling hurt and betrayed; Abu Bakr (RA), vowed never to help Mistah again. Yet Allaah asked him to forgive and continue helping his relative, which he did. Allaah says, "And let not those who are good and wealthy among you swear not to help their kinsmen, those in need and those who left their homes in Allahs cause. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Verily! Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." (Q24:22). After that Abu Bakr (RA) said, Yes! By Allah! I like that Allah should forgive me, and resumed helping Mistah whom he used to help before. (Bukhari).
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited