Evil suspicion is a cause of severing ties with relatives

Dear Islamic brothers! Undoubtedly treating relatives well will bring about respect and nobility, salvation in the Hereafter, the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, blessings in sustenance, life and much more. Whereas breaking off relations brings about the displeasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and the destruction of the Hereafter besides many other worldly disadvantages. A lack of having good opinions and an abundance of bad opinions usually leads to breaking off relations. Alas! It is very common to raise a bad opinion about each other based on mere doubts and suspicions in our society. For example, if we invite a relative to a ceremony, but he does not attend it, then he is criticised a lot and plenty of backbiting is also committed against him that develops a mind-set that he has boycotted our ceremony, therefore we too will not attend his ceremonies, this widens the gap between the two families which becomes so intense with the passing of time that both the families do not meet each other for a long time. Even if someone has not attended our ceremony, we can still have positive thinking about him in many ways. For instance, he may have fallen ill or forgotten or got some important piece of work or he was faced with some urgent problem that he may not be able to explain to us. Anyway, whether he informs us of the cause of his absence or not, we should have positive thinking, reaping rewards and paving our way to Paradise.

Excellence of having good opinions

The Holiest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said: حُسۡنُ الظَّنِّ مِنۡ حُسۡنِ الۡعِبَادَةِ, ‘Having a good opinion [about others] is from good worship.’

(Sunan Abi Dawood, vol. 4, pp. 388, Hadees 4993)

While elaborating on the abovementioned blessed Hadees, the renowned commentator of the Glorious Quran, Hakeem-ul-Ummat, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has stated, ‘This means that to hold a good opinion about other Muslims and to avoid ill-suspicion against them, is amongst the most virtuous acts of worship.’ (Mirat-ul-Manajih, vol. 6, pp. 621)