Kinship itself imposes the obligation of upholding family ties; hence, when someone petitions another on the basis of the womb-relationship, he is invoking a cause that requires the addressee to honor that bond. Such an appeal is neither an oath nor a plea through something irrelevant to the request; rather, it is a form of tawassul that genuinely warrants the desired response—much like seeking favor through the supplication of the prophets, obedience to them, or sending blessings upon them.

In this vein is the report from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar, who said: “Whenever I asked ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—for something and he withheld it, I would say, ‘By Jaʿfar’s right, give it to me,’ and he would grant it,” or words to that effect.

Some people have imagined that this is a case of putting ʿAlī under oath by Jaʿfar, or akin to saying, “I ask you by the right of Your prophets,” and the like. It is not so. Jaʿfar was ʿAlī’s brother, and ʿAbd Allāh was his son; ʿAlī was therefore duty-bound to maintain kinship with ʿAbd Allāh, and showing kindness to ʿAbd Allāh amounted to honoring his father, Jaʿfar.

This accords with the Prophet’s saying: “Among the finest acts of filial piety is for a man to keep ties with those his father loved after he has gone,” and his statement: “Among the acts of piety toward them after their death are: praying for them, seeking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their pledges after them, and maintaining the bonds of kin through whom you have no kinship except by them.”