Friday Khutbah Calls for Strengthening Family Ties, Warns Against Severing Kinship

A Friday sermon delivered in the Maldives has called on worshippers to maintain kinship ties, describing them as a means of abundant sustenance while warning that severing them is a major sin. The Khutbah, delivered under the topic "The Importance of Strengthening Family Ties," emphasized that a strong society cannot be built without strengthening families. It cited the decline in moral standards as a result of how children are raised. The sermon urged parents and guardians to teach religious matters to children from a young age, and to instruct them in obedience, respect, and maintaining good relations with relatives. It also stressed that children should be prepared for prayer by age seven and disciplined if they fail to pray by age ten.