Relationship needs friendship more than friendship needing relationship
Love for Relatives
Imam Ali (PBUH) says “do meet relatives even with simple greetings”.
O, people! No one, however rich, is needless of his relatives (tribe) and their practical and verbal supports. They are the greatest group to support when you are lost and to look after you in time of accidents and catastrophes. A good name you leave for yourself through support of God is much better than the wealth you leave for others.
O, people! Do not turn your back on relatives and do not deny them little money since it won’t increase your wealth but giving it won’t decrease anything. Whoever denies his relatives a hand of help, has denied one hand but many hands will be denied to him and whoever is kind to his relatives will get their everlasting kindness and love.
Those who deny their help to relatives have in fact denied only one support, but in case of great need to their support many will deny him that help. Such a person has deprived himself of many supports.
Obligation of Meeting Relatives
God made meeting relatives obligatory to increase the power of community. Human being cannot live alone; he is a social being and therefore needs the society and can survive only in an atmosphere of social life. Family is a small society. It is small but well-knitted. Families constitute a bigger society compared to family. In order to build healthy society human beings must learn mutual assistance in the family in the first place, then among the relatives, then in their tribe, nation, and international community, which is the family of nations. Thus by practicing Islamic teachings on family and social relations we can have peaceful coexistence in international community free from tension, conflict, violence and war. It will be a community of cooperation, mutual respect and assistance.
Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
