لَمَّا حَرَّمَ اللهُ سبحانه وتعالى عَصَبِيَّةَ الجَاهِلِيَّةِ، إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ أَنْ تَكُونَ العَصَبِيَّةُ هِيَ الرَّابِطَةَ بَيْنَ أَبْنَاءِ الأُمَّةِ، وَحَرَّمَ أَنْ تَتَحَكَّمَ فِي عَلَاقَاتِ المُسْلِمِينَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ. وَمَعَ ذَلِكَ أَمَرَ بِصِلَةِ الأَرْحَامِ وَالإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِمْ. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ: "مَنْ أَبَرُّ؟" قَالَ: "أُمَّكَ، وَأَبَاكَ، وَأُخْتَكَ، وَأَخَاكَ". وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى: "وَمَوْلَاكَ الأَقْرَبَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْكَ، حَقًّا وَاجِبًا وَرَحِمًا مَوْصُولَةً تَبَرُّهَا". وَقَالَتْ أَسْمَاءُ بِنْتُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ: "قَدِمَتْ عَلَيَّ أُمِّي، وَهِيَ رَاغِبَةٌ، فِي عَهْدِ قُرَيْشٍ مَعَ المُسْلِمِينَ، وَكَانَتْ مُشْرِكَةً، فَاسْتَفْتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ، قُلْتُ: قَدِمَتْ عَلَيَّ أُمِّي وَهِيَ رَاغِبَةٌ، أَفَأَصِلُهَا؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، صِلِي أُمَّكِ". ﷺ

When Allah (swt) forbade the tribalism of Jahiliyah He only forbade that tribalism should be the bond between the sons of the Ummah, and He forbade that it controls the relationships amongst the Muslims. However, He ordered people to maintain contact with relatives and show kindness to them. It has been reported that a man asked the Prophet (pbuh) : “who shall I show kindness to?” He said: “Your mother, father, sister and brother.” In another version: “And your (Mawla) relation who is closer to you, as a right and duty and a tie of relationship (Rahm) which you should be kind to.” Asmaa bint Abu Bakr said: “My mother who was a pagan, came to see me during the period of the treaty between the Muslims and Quraish. I went to seek the advice of the Prophet (pbuh) saying: ‘My mother has arrived and she is hoping (for my favour).” The Prophet said: “Yes, be good to your mother”.

قسّم الإسلام الأقارب إلى قسمين: الأول: الأقارب الذين يجوز الإرث منهم عند الوفاة، والثاني: ذوو الأرحام من جهة الأم. أما الذين لهم حق الإرث فهم أصحاب الفروض، والعصبات (الأقارب من جهة الأب). وأما ذوو الأرحام فهم يختلفون عن الأولين؛ إذ ليس لهم نصيب مفروض في الميراث، ولا هم من العصبات. وهم عشرة أصناف: الخال والخالة، والجد لأم، وابن البنت وابن الأخت، وبنت الأخ، وبنت العم وبنت العمة، والعم لأم، وابن الأخ لأم، ومن أدلى بأحد منهم. ولم يفرض الله تعالى لهؤلاء نصيباً في ميراث الإنسان، ولا تجب نفقتهم عليه، لكن الله تعالى أمر بصلة الرحم والإحسان إلى جميع الأقارب. فقد روى جابر رضي الله عنه أن النبي ﷺ قال: «إذا كان أحدكم فقيراً فليبدأ بنفسه، فإن كان له فضل فليتصدق على أهله، فإن كان له فضل فعلى قرابته». وعن أبي أيوب رضي الله عنه قال: جاء رجل إلى النبي ﷺ فقال: «أخبرني بعمل يدخلني الجنة»، فقال القوم: ما له؟ ما له؟ فقال النبي ﷺ: «أرب ماله؟» ثم قال ﷺ: «تعبد الله ولا تشرك به شيئاً، وتقيم الصلاة، وتؤتي الزكاة، وتصل الرحم». فقد أمر ﷺ بصلة الرحم. فيُسأل: من هم الأقارب المقصودون في هذه الأحاديث؟ هل هم من جهة الأم فقط (أولو الأرحام) أم كل من له صلة بالرحم؟ تدل الأحاديث على أن صلة الرحم تشمل جميع الأقارب، سواء كانوا من ذوي المحارم، أو من غير المحارم من العصبة (الأقارب من جهة الأب)، أو الأقارب من جهة الأم. وقد وردت أحاديث كثيرة في صلة الرحم. قال ﷺ: «لا يدخل الجنة قاطع رحم». وروى أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: «من أحب أن يُبسط له في رزقه، وأن يُنسأ له في أثره، فليصل رحمه». وروى أبو هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي ﷺ قال: «لما خلق الله الخلق، قامت الرحم فقالت: هذا مقام العائذ بك من القطيعة. قال: نعم، أما ترضين أن أصل من وصلك، وأقطع من قطعك؟ قالت: بلى يا رب. قال: فذلك لك». ثم قال رسول الله ﷺ: «اقرءوا إن شئتم: ﴿فهل عسيتم إن توليتم أن تفسدوا في الأرض وتقطعوا أرحامكم﴾» [محمد: 22-23].

Islam has divided the relations into two catogaries; firstly the relations from whom it is possible to inherit when they die. And secondly the relatives from the maternal side (Ulu al-Arham). As for the ones who have the right to inherit they are the ones entitled to a statutory portion of inheritance (Ashab al-Furud) and the agnate relations (relatives on the paternal side) (Asabat). As for relatives on the mothers side (Ulu al-Arham) they are different from the former; they are the ones who have no share in inheritance nor are they from the agnate relations. They include ten categories: The maternal uncle (Khal) and aunt (Khala), maternal grandfather (Jadd li al-umm), son of the daughter and son of the sister, daughter of the brother, daughter of the paternal uncle and paternal aunt, and the half paternal uncle, son of the half brother and whoever declares to be one of them. Allah (swt) did not give those people any share in the inheritance of the person nor is their maintenance an obligation on the person. However Allah (swt) ordered the maintaining of good relations and being kind to all the relatives. Jabir (ra) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If any one of you is poor let Him start with Himself and if any one of you has surplus (wealth) let Him spend on his family, and if any of you has further surplus let Him spend it on his relatives.” Narrated Abu Ayyub: A man said to the Prophet (pbuh) “Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise .” The people said, “What is the matter with Him? What is the matter with Him?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “He has something to ask”. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “(In order to enter Paradise) you should worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, offer prayer perfectly, pay the Zakat and keep good relations with your Kith and kin.” Thus, He ordered the keeping of good relations. It may be asked: Who are the relations meant in these Ahadith? Are they only the maternal side (Ulu al-Arham) or anyone related to the Rahm of the person! The Ahadith indicate that keeping good relations include all the relatives whether they are relatives from the unmarriageable degrees (Mahram), a non-Mahram from the Asaba (relations on the paternal side/agnates) or the relatives from the maternal side. There exist a number of Ahadith concerning the keeping of good relations (Silat ar-rahm). He (pbuh) said: “The one who severes ties with the relations will not enter Paradise”. It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever loves that He be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then He should keep good relations with his kith and kin”. It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah created his creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me).” On that Allah (pbuh) said: “Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on Him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from Him who severes your ties?” On that it said, “Yes, Oh my Lord!” Then Allah (swt) said: “That is for you”. Then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

"إِنْ شِئْتُمْ فَاقْرَءُوا: {فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَنْ تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوا أَرْحَامَكُمْ}" [محمد: 22] وقال ﷺ: «لَيْسَ الْوَاصِلُ بِالْمُكَافِئِ، وَلَكِنَّ الْوَاصِلَ الَّذِي إِذَا قُطِعَتْ رَحِمُهُ وَصَلَهَا». كل هذا يدل على الحث على صلة الأرحام.

“If you wish, you can recite: Would you then if you were given authority, do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship?” [Muhammmad: 22] He (pbuh) said: “The Al-wasil (the one who keeps good ties with kith and kin) is not the one who recompenses the good done to Him by his relatives, but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with Him.” All of this indicates the exhortation to keep good relations with kith and kin.

إن صلة الرحم تدل على عظم ما شرعه الله تعالى من حفظ العلاقات الودّية الطيبة داخل المجتمع الإسلامي، وفي المحافظة على حسن الصلات والتعاون بين الأقارب، وعلى مدى اهتمام الشريعة بتنظيم لقاء الرجال والنساء، وتنظيم ما يترتب على هذا اللقاء من علاقات (علاقات) وما يتفرع عنها. ومن ثم فإن الشريعة الإسلامية، من خلال القواعد التي شرعتها للجانب الاجتماعي في المجتمع، توفر للبشرية أفضل نظام اجتماعي.

The Silat ar-Rahm (keeping good relations) indicates the importance of what Allah (swt) has legislated regarding the keeping of good and friendly relations within the Islamic community, in the maintaining of good relations and co-operation between relatives, and the extent of the Shari’ah concern to organise the meeting of men and women and organise what results from this meeting in terms of the relationships (Alaqat) and whatever branches out from it. Hence the Islamic Shar’a, through the rules which it legislated for the social aspect in the society, provides the best social system for mankind.