When is a person considered to have severed ties of kinship? Does this include merely not inquiring about relatives due to existing problems and their support for injustice, or is severing ties limited to direct disputes?
"Maintaining kinship ties is obligatory, and severing them is forbidden and considered one of the major sins, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'A severer of kinship ties will not enter Paradise.' The meaning of maintaining and severing ties varies according to circumstances and customs. The lowest degree of maintaining ties is greeting with peace (salaam). Severing kinship ties is not limited to ill-treatment or harm; rather, it includes complete abandonment. It is stated in the Hadith: 'Wet your kinship ties, even if only with a greeting of peace.' There are various degrees of maintaining ties; the lowest is abandoning abandonment and maintaining communication, even if only through greetings. This varies according to ability and need, with some levels being obligatory and others recommended. One is not considered a severer of ties if they maintain some connections but not to their full extent, nor is one considered a maintainer of ties if they fall short of what they are capable of. Maintaining kinship ties is obligatory towards a relative, even if they are a transgressor, but it is permissible to abandon a transgressing relative if doing so serves a greater good."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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