Dr. Mahmoud Shalaby, Secretary of Fatwa at Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta, responded to a question about a man who prays regularly yet cuts off his relatives, clarifying that his prayer remains valid but loses its full reward.
During a televised interview, Dr. Shalaby explained that prayer is meant to deter believers from sin, citing the Quranic verse: “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing.” He emphasized that a prayer that fails to reform a person’s behavior is valid in form but incomplete in spiritual impact.
He added that cutting family ties is one of the major sins, and that God does not accept the deeds of one who severs kinship unless they repent and reconcile with their relatives. Maintaining family relations, he said, is obligatory even if the other side neglects it.
Dr. Shalaby further stressed that true worship should reflect in conduct and compassion, noting that one who prays and then wrongs or abandons relatives contradicts the essence of worship.
He concluded that those who make sincere efforts to reconnect but receive no response from their families are not sinful, as God rewards intentions and efforts, not just outcomes.
