وَلَكِنِ الْوَاصِلُ الَّذِي إِذَا قَطَعَتْ رَحِمُهُ وَصَلَهَا
but Al-Wasil is the one who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5991 · Source checked
English translation on Sunnah.com
Source
Sahih al-Bukhari 5991
Book 78, Hadith 22
English translation on Sunnah.com
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Source text checked 2026-09-17. Included in a Sahih collection; no separate grading claim added.
What It Means: Reading in Context
The first part of the saying contrasts maintaining kinship with merely returning relatives’ favours. This excerpt gives the positive description of Al-Wasil, the person who maintains those ties. It concerns relatives, rather than a general requirement to continue every relationship. This entry comes from Sahih al-Bukhari 5991. The displayed text is an excerpt, not the complete narration. Follow the source link to read the narrator, full wording and in-book reference together. A hadith number identifies the source used here; numbering systems can differ between editions. Being able to inspect a source is important when a short statement is shared outside its original setting. The accompanying reflection is an editorial prompt for everyday conduct. It is not part of the hadith and does not replace explanation from qualified scholarship. Avoid extending a short reminder into a religious ruling that the entry itself does not establish.
REFLECTION · EDITORIAL
Consider a safe, appropriate gesture towards a relative with whom contact has faded. Where there has been harm, seek sound advice and keep boundaries that protect you.
This reflection is not Qur’an, hadith or an authoritative tafsir.