Silat al-Rahim
Silat al-Rahim is the duty to treat relatives well and never cut them off, even if they cut you off first.
What it means for me: This duty does not require constant closeness. A call, a message asking after someone's health, or help sent without a visit all count. It scales with your ability and the closeness of the relation — a parent's due is heavier than a distant cousin's.
Example: A woman has an uncle she rarely sees because he lives abroad. She calls him before each Eid and asks after his health. That phone call, on its own, counts as keeping the tie.
Do not confuse with: Birr al-Walidayn, the duty owed to parents. That duty is stricter and takes priority; silat al-rahim covers the wider circle of other relatives.
If scholars differ: Scholars differ on how wide the circle of kinship reaches — the closest relatives only, or every relative connected by blood. They agree the duty stands even toward a relative who has already cut you off.
Related terms
See the term in context
Is it permissible to cut ties with paternal aunts who cause familial problems, divorce, and discord, and what are the limits of kinship ties (silat al-rahim) as enjoined by Islamic law?
The kin whose ties must be maintained are blood relatives from both parents, and they are divided into mahram (those with whom marriage is forbidden) and non-mahram. Maintaining kinship ties (silat al-rahim) is not…
What is the minimum extent of maintaining kinship ties (silat al-rahim) required by Sharia to avoid severing kinship ties (qati’at al-rahim)? What should be done with relatives who prefer not to interact frequently, or with a sister who refuses to communicate despite attempts? Does being occupied with seeking knowledge exempt one from daily communication with family?
Kinship ties must be maintained according to one's ability, whether through visits, correspondence, or phone calls. It is also legislated to maintain these ties financially if the relative is poor. There is no specific…
Is maintaining ties with one's cousins (the children of one's maternal aunts or paternal uncles) without maintaining ties with their parents (the maternal aunt or paternal uncle) considered an act of upholding kinship ties (Silat al-Rahim)?
Maintaining ties with paternal and maternal uncles and aunts is obligatory and cannot be replaced by maintaining ties with their children (cousins), which is considered supererogatory. Scholars have divided kinship…
Questions that use it
Do the relationships among wives of the same man fall under the "womb-kinship" (silat al-rahim) that is suspended from the Throne?
Is it permissible to deduct a small monthly amount from one's salary for charitable projects with the intention of including deceased parents and grandparents, as well as one's wife, children, siblings, paternal uncles, and maternal uncles in the reward, and to seek success, blessings, and provisions for the afterlife? And is this considered an act of upholding kinship ties (silat al-rahim)?
What is the correct interpretation of the Almighty's saying: "And We made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another," and what is the difference between a tribe (qabilah) and tribalism (qabiliyyah), what was the reason for the revelation of the verse, and what are the ties of kinship (silat al-arham) and who are they?