Hassam Munir discusses the prophetic wisdom behind maintaining strong family relationships and gives practical advice on how to connect with your family.

Silat ar-Rahim

Silat ar-Rahim is a highly-valued deed in the list of good deeds. Silat ar-Rahim refers to the act of maintaining good family relationships - whether it is building them, upholding them or beautifying them.

The benefits of strong family relationships

Abu Huraira reported in Sunan al-Tirmidhī (1979) that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Learn your lineages to solidify your family ties. Indeed, keeping family ties causes love among the kinship, enriches the wealth, and increases the lifespan.”

Create your family tree

One way to learn about your lineage, and to start building a habit of maintaining family ties, is to create your own family tree.

Dedicate time once a week to get in touch with a family member that you haven't followed up with. Connect with them, and start conversations to learn more about your cousins, uncles, great-aunts, in-laws, and more. Then build a relationship with them, and stay in touch on a regular basis.