Am I Sinful to Have Limited Contact with My Siblings and Relatives?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I live in the US and have family in PK and elsewhere. I have contacted a few people from my extended family a few times over the past six years. I last visited them when I was around 14. I left on good terms with them, but some of my family on my father’s side do not contact my family. My siblings have moved out, so now I live with my parents. Sometimes I don’t get a chance to contact my siblings until an Eid passes. Is it fine to live like this? Am I being sinful? I honestly do not recall severing my ties with anyone. Also, I don’t want to contact them if I don’t have to because they cause me stress.

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for your determination to do well toward your family and to please your Lord.

Not Staying in Touch

If you are not in contact with relatives abroad or with your siblings when it is not out of spite or anger, you have not cut ties of kinship; therefore, you are not sinful. Maintain ties with your siblings and relatives to the best of your ability and to the degree that is comfortable for you. Prioritize parents first, then your mahram (unmarriageable kin), and then relatives beyond that.

Please see many details on the ruling here:

How Should I Uphold My Family Ties?
What is the Ruling of Maintaining Family Ties?

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.