❖ Chapter:
«باب ليس الواصل بالمكافئ»
“The one who reciprocates is not the true one who maintains ties.”
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (رضي الله عنهما) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
“The one who maintains ties of kinship only as a return for being treated well is not the true maintainer. Rather, the one who truly upholds kinship is he who connects the ties when they have been severed.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 5991]
This means that:
✔ True kinship is not based on mere exchange,
✔ But it is about initiating connection even when others break it,
✔ The one who continues to uphold family bonds despite being ignored, abandoned, or wronged is the one who is truly fulfilling the duty of Ṣilat al-Raḥim.
