You may or may not have heard about a day celebrated internationally called International Family Day. The International Day of Families is a day which is celebrated by families on the 15th of May of every year. This occasion started in 1994 to celebrate the importance of families, people, societies and cultures around the world. In Islam we only celebrate 2 Eids, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, however, we can still shed some light on what the Islamic religion tells us about the Family.

What is the meaning of Family?

To know the importance of Family, we first need to know the meaning of Family. Linguistically, the word Family has many meanings:

A social unit living together
The primary social group, i.e. the parents and children
People descended from a common ancestor, blood relations

Linguistically, the Arabic word for Family is ‘usra’ الأُسْرة and the definition of that is الدِّرع الحصينة (the fortified shield).

This meaning defines the strong bond within the family, since the family means protection, the shield that protects you from other people, the worldly problems and difficulties. They are our strength in times of weakness, the hand that lifts us once we fall and the guide that stays by our side from the day we are born till the day Allah claims our soul. The word family here has the comprehensive meaning of any person whoever they may be, in which these points describe that person’s character.

The Meaning of Family in Islam

Islamically, Allah has mentioned family ties continuously in his holy book and the prophet emphasised on its importance in the Hadiths (narrations). Family ties or Silatur-Rahim is one of the crucial types of ibadat or worship that Allah and his prophet have commanded us to maintain.

Silat means ties through kindness and affection. Rahim, is anyone who becomes a relative through blood ties with one’s father, mother, siblings, uncle, and aunt, grandparents, or through marriage. It is also a word derived from Allah’s special quality, Ar-Rahman (The Compassionate One). So, Silatur-Rahim means being kind to family and relatives, and keeping a good relationship with them. This even includes non-Muslim relatives.

References to The Importance of Family Ties in the Quran and Hadith

Allah mentions silat Al-Rahim often in the Quran:

An-Nisa` Ayah 1

قال الله تعالى: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا}

(O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.)

Al-Ra’d Ayah 21

قال الله تعالى: {وَالَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَيَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ}

(And those who join that which Allah has commanded to be joined (i.e. they are good to their relatives and do not sever the bond of kinship), and fear their Lord, and dread the terrible reckoning (i.e. abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden and perform all kinds of good deeds which Allah has ordained))

In the Hadiths of the prophet ﷺ, relating to the importance of Silatur-Rahim:

قال – صلى الله عليه وسلم (من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليصل رحمه) رواه البخاري

The Prophet said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should unite the bond of kinship (i.e. keep good relation with his Kith and kin). “

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ (‏مَنْ سَرَّهُ أَنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ رِزْقُهُ أَوْ يُنْسَأَ لَهُ فِي أَثَرِهِ فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ)

Narrated by Anas bin Malik: I heard Allah’s Prophet saying, “whoever desires an expansion in his sustenance and age, should keep good relations with his Kith and kin.”

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ (تَعَلَّمُوا مِنْ أَنْسَابِكُمْ مَا تَصِلُونَ بِهِ أَرْحَامَكُمْ فَإِنَّ صِلَةَ الرَّحِمِ مَحَبَّةٌ فِي الأَهْلِ مَثْرَاةٌ فِي الْمَالِ مَنْسَأَةٌ فِي الأَثَرِ) ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ (مَنْسَأَةٌ فِي الأَثَرِ).‏ يَعْنِي زِيَادَةً فِي الْعُمُرِ ‏.‏

The Messenger of Allah said: “Learn enough about your lineage to facilitate keeping your ties of kinship. For indeed keeping the ties of kinship encourages affection among the relatives, increases the wealth, and increases the lifespan.”

Breaking Family Ties is a Major Sin

Ar-Rad Ayah 25

قال الله تعالى: {وَالَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ}

(And those who break the Covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined (i.e. they sever the bond of kinship and are not good to their relatives), and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse (i.e. they will be far away from Allah’s Mercy), and for them is the unhappy (evil) home (i.e. Hell)).

Al-Baqarah Ayah 27

وقال الله تعالى: {الَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ}

(Who break the covenant of Allah after contracting it and sever that which Allah has ordered to be joined and cause corruption on earth. It is those who are the losers.)

In the Hadiths of the prophet ﷺ, relating to breaking of Silatur-Rahim:

قال – صلى الله عليه وسلم: (ما من ذنب أجدر أن يعجل الله لصاحبه العقوبة في الدنيا مع ما يدخر له في الآخرة من البغي وقطيعة الرحم) رواه الترمذي

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (There is no sin more fitted to have punishment meted out by Allah to its perpetrator in advance in this world along with what He stores up for him in the next world than oppression and severing ties of relationship).

قال صلى الله عليه وسلم (لا يدخل الجنة قاطع)

The Messenger of Allah said: (The one who severs ties will not enter Paradise).