Islamic code of life regarding relatives

Dear Islamic brothers! As Islam guides us about familial relations and teaches us to fulfil the rights of one another, it also gives us the guiding principles and rules in relation to relatives.

Let us listen to what Islam has commanded us to do in regard to treating relatives well and how we should behave towards them. Listen carefully and do your best to treat your relatives well. It is stated in the first verse of Surah al-Nisāˈ:

وَ  اتَّقُوا  اللّٰهَ  الَّذِیْ  تَسَآءَلُوْنَ  بِهٖ  وَ  الْاَرْحَامَؕ-اِنَّ  اللّٰهَ  كَانَ  عَلَیْكُمْ  رَقِیْبًا(۱)

fear Allah whose name you mention when you ask of one another; and observe familial relations. Indeed, Allah is a Protector over you.^[1]

Regarding this blessed verse, it is stated in Tafseer-e-NaꜤīmī: “The way salah, fasting, Hajj, Zakah, etc., are necessary for Muslims, similarly it is also of utmost importance to fulfil the rights of relatives.”

It is further mentioned: “Treating relatives and ‘close family’ well is very beneficial for one’s life in the world and the Hereafter; it makes all our life, death and the Hereafter better.”^[2]

Remember! Grandparents, uncles and aunties, be they maternal or paternal, also have certain rights.

On page no. 197 of the book ‘Bahisht ki Kunjiyan [Keys to Paradise]’, publication of Maktaba-tul-Madinah, it is stated:

Severing ties with relatives is Haram and an act leading to Hell. Therefore, every Muslim should always be cautious in this matter and should not sever ties with his relatives but rather he should always make efforts to maintain relations with them and ensure that their relationship never comes to an end. Some people are heard saying: “We will only maintain relations with those relatives who keep