In another narration he asked, “Messenger of Allah, who is most entitled to my gracious companionship?” He replied, “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then the nearest of your relatives, then the next nearest.”

(The word al-ṣaḥāba here simply means “companionship.” As for his statement “then your father,” it appears in the accusative because of an omitted verb—meaning, “then show kindness to your father.” Another wording has the nominative, “then your father,” which is self-explanatory.)

[Explanation]
These two hadiths set forth the excellence of maintaining the ties of kinship. We have already explained that “kinship” refers to one’s relatives, and the way those ties are kept is left to customary practice and what people recognize as such. Neither the Quran nor the Sunnah has specified a particular form, category, or amount, for the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—did not confine it to eating or drinking with them, clothing them, or housing them. He left the matter unrestricted, and therefore it is referred back to prevailing custom: whatever people regard as an act of keeping the ties is indeed keeping them, and whatever they regard as severance is severance. That is the basic rule.

If, however, customs were to become corrupt so that people no longer cared about cutting off relatives, and breaking ties came to be considered keeping them, such a custom would carry no weight, because it is not an Islamic custom. In many non-Muslim countries today families are disunited; relatives often do not even know one another. A man’s own child, once grown, may become to him like a complete stranger who is unaware that he even has a father, for they know nothing of maintaining kinship bonds or of good neighborliness. Their affairs are chaotic and unsound, for disbelief has devastated them—and we seek Allah’s refuge from that.