Is sending a text message to one's paternal uncle sufficient to inquire about his well-being after years of estrangement, knowing the difficulty of direct communication and the difficulty of obtaining his number without the family's knowledge?

The paternal uncle is among the kin with whom ties of kinship must be maintained and severing them is forbidden. Allah Almighty has commanded the maintenance of kinship ties and warned against severing them in numerous verses and hadiths, among them His saying: "And fear Allah, through Whom you ask one another, and the wombs (kinship ties)," and the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "No severer of kinship ties will enter Paradise." A Muslim should seek reward from Allah when maintaining ties with someone who has cut him off, and respond to their ill-treatment with kindness. Allah will continue to be a supporter for him as long as he persists in this. The Sharia has not specified a particular method for maintaining kinship ties; rather, this varies according to circumstances and ability. It includes visiting, giving gifts, and communicating by phone. The lowest degree of maintaining ties is to refrain from abandoning someone and to offer greetings of peace.