Assalaamu alaykum. If a person cut the family ties for years and then repents and gives them cards as an effort to keep the ties of kinship and they live in my home. All those years, like two years; my deeds are not accepted? Does that mean that all my deeds were for nothing?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that cutting ties with kinship is one of the grave, major sins that require one to repent to Allaah, but we are not aware of any evidence from the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet that proves that it is a reason for having one’s deeds invalidated. It was reported in a weak hadeeth that disobeying the parents invalidates one’s deeds, as reported by At-Tabaraani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabeer from Thawbaan who related that the Prophet said, “Three things render deeds worthless: associating partners with Allaah, disobedience to parents, and fleeing away from the battle (between the Muslims and non-Muslims).”

Therefore, a bad deed does not invalidate one’s good deeds in principle, unless there is evidence for it.

It is confirmed in the Sharee'ah that some sins invalidate good deeds either wholly or partly, such as Kufr (disbelief), as this deed invalidates all good deeds; abandoning the ‘Asr prayer; reminding people of one’s favors over them; keeping a dog without a valid reason; drinking alcohol, and going to a soothsayer. However, we do not know that cutting the ties with kinship is an act that invalidates one’s deeds.

Finally, we advise you to fear Allaah and to be keen on keeping the ties with your kinship in the future.

Allaah knows best.