The fifth point:

He said:

“I ask of you no reward for it, except affection on account of kinship.”

He did not say, “except affection for kinship,” nor “affection for close relatives.” Had He intended affection for close relatives, He would have said, “affection for close relatives,” just as He said:

“Know that whatever spoils you acquire, one-fifth of it belongs to Allah, the Messenger, and close relatives.”

[Surah al-Anfāl: 41]

And He said:

“Whatever Allah restores to His Messenger from the people of the towns belongs to Allah, the Messenger, and close relatives.”

[Surah al-Hashr: 7]

Likewise, He said:

“So give the close relative his due, as well as the needy and the stranded traveler.”

[Surah al-Rūm: 38]

And He said:

“And he gives wealth, despite his love for it, to close relatives.”

[Surah al-Baqara: 177]

The same wording occurs elsewhere. Thus, whenever the Quran enjoins the rights of the Prophet’s close relatives—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or those of any person’s close relatives, it says “close relatives”; it does not say “[on account of] kinship” (1). Since the verbal noun is used here rather than the noun denoting the relatives themselves, this shows that close relatives were not intended.

The sixth point:

Had affection for them been intended, He would have said, “affection for close relatives,” rather than “on account of kinship.” A person seeking affection for someone else does not say, “I ask you for affection regarding so-and-so,” or “regarding so-and-so’s kinship.” Rather, he says, “I ask you to have affection for so-and-so and love for so-and-so.” Thus, when He said, “affection on account of kinship,” it became evident that the intended meaning (2) was not affection for close relatives.

The seventh point:

It may be said that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—does not ask, in return for