Is the mother of the deceased wife considered a relative whose kinship must be maintained, and what are the aspects of this maintenance? And is it considered a severance of kinship ties to communicate with nieces by phone instead of making regular visits?

"Arahim" (kinship ties) refers to relatives and is divided into "mahram" kinship and "non-mahram" kinship. "Mahram" kinship includes all those with whom marriage is forbidden due to blood relations, such as fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandfathers, grandmothers, children, paternal uncles, paternal aunts, maternal uncles, and maternal aunts. As for the wife's mother, she is not considered a blood relative, even though she is forbidden (for marriage) through affinity, unless she is also a blood relative like a paternal aunt or maternal aunt. Maintaining kinship ties can be achieved by speaking over the phone as a minimum level of connection, and the more complete way is through visiting and offering solace.