(Qur'an...

(Qur'an, 16:90) A point to ponder: Helping relatives comes under both “Justice” and “Doing good”. Still Allah mentioned it separately; it shows how important this item is in the eyes of Allah. If anyone wants to find out, in the light of the sayings of the true leaders of Islam, the material benefits of `joining the relationship', the following ahadith will guide him. 1.

al-Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) said: One who desires that his life be elongated and his sustenance be increased, should join his relationship. There are many such ahadith from ma`sumin [^1] (a.s.): 2.

The Holy Prophet said: Verily (it happens that) a man joins his relationship while only three years have remained from his life, so Allah increases his life to thirty-three years; and verily (it happens) that a man severs his relationship and thirty-three years have still remained from his life, and Allah shortens that life to only three years. Al-Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has described two incidents showing the truth of this matter; but space does not permit their description here. 3.

al-Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said that the Holy Prophet said: Joining relationship builds homes, increases lives and increases prosperity, even if they be infidels. 4. The Holy Prophet said: Some people go on an evil path and commit sins, but they behave gently with their relatives and because of this silat ar-rahm their wealth is increased and their lives elongated. How much reward would have been theirs if they had been good people? 5.

It is because of this, that Amir al-mu'minin `Ali (a.s.) said: Man is not given reward of any good work sooner than that of silat ar-rahm. 6. So far as its reward in the life Hereafter is concerned, the Holy Prophet has said: The reward of charity is ten times; and the reward of lending is eighteen times; and the reward of doing good to a believer is twenty times; and the reward of doing good to a relative is twenty-four times.

So far as this world's rewards are concerned, they are given to anyone who practises silat ar-rahm, even if he is an unbeliever.