Is it permissible to sever ties of kinship out of fear of being killed?

There is no harm in ceasing communication with relatives if there is a real fear of their harm. Maintaining kinship ties can be achieved through phone calls or sending gifts. If communication causes harm, there is no harm in avoiding direct encounters, for "a graceful abandonment is better than a hurtful association." It is advisable to be patient with the harm caused by relatives and to ward off their harm by seeking refuge in Allah and through well-known supplications, such as reciting the two Mu'awwidhatayn (Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas), and the remembrance: "In the name of Allah, with Whose Name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm." And the supplication: "O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Magnificent Throne, be for me a protector from so-and-so, son of so-and-so, and their factions from Your creation, lest any of them aggress against me or transgress. Glorified is Your protection, and exalted is Your praise, and there is no god but You." As well as the supplication: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is mightier than all His creation. Allah is mightier than what I fear and dread. I seek refuge in Allah, there is no god but Him, Who holds the seven heavens from falling upon the earth except by His permission, from the evil of Your servant so-and-so, and his soldiers, and his followers from among jinn and humans. O Allah, be for me a protector from their evil. Exalted is Your praise, mighty is Your protection, blessed is Your Name, and there is no god other than You."