then your father, your sister, and your brother.

Al-Nasaʾi narrates—and al-Hakim deemed the chain sound—on the authority of Tariq al-Muharibi: “Begin with those who are under your care: your mother and your father, your sister and your brother; then the next closest, and the next.” This hadith clarifies the Almighty’s statement: “And give the relative his due” (Qur’an 17:26).

The father is obliged to shoulder the child’s maintenance in full and alone, because the Prophet ﷺ said to Hind, “Take what suffices you and your child in a reasonable manner.” This noble hadith shows that the father bears the child’s expenses exclusively, in harmony with the verse, “And upon the father of the child is their provision and their clothing in an honourable manner” (Qur’an 2:233) and His words, “If they suckle the child for you, give them their payment” (Qur’an 65:6). Thus the cost of nursing rests on the father, not on the mother.

As for a poor person who has wealthy relatives other than his father, those relatives must share in supporting him, each in proportion to the share he would inherit, for Allah has linked maintenance to inheritance, saying, “And the same is incumbent upon the heir” (Qur’an 2:233). Accordingly, the amount each relative contributes is tied to the amount he would receive in inheritance. If, for example, the needy individual has a grandmother and a full brother, the grandmother must provide one-sixth of his support and the remainder falls upon the brother, because that is how they would divide the estate. Apply the same reasoning to all comparable cases.

With regard to the upkeep of slaves—both human and animal—the master is bound to provide his slave with food, clothing, and lodging in an honourable manner, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “And for the slave…"