Is it considered a severing of kinship ties (qati’at rahim) if a person becomes certain that their relative does not desire their connection, through actions such as frowning or not answering calls with flimsy excuses, or does the sin of severing ties only arise with a clear declaration from the relative of their unwillingness to connect?

Maintaining kinship ties is obligatory. The one who truly maintains ties is not he who reciprocates a visit with a visit, but rather he who maintains ties with his kin when they cut him off. The Shari'ah has not specified a particular method or a fixed amount for maintaining kinship ties. Instead, the reference for this is custom and what people consider to be maintaining ties. The lowest degree of maintaining ties is to abandon desertion and to offer greetings. If visiting a relative or contacting them causes harm to the visitor, then he may refrain from visiting them and suffice with other forms of maintaining ties, such as greetings. Indeed, it is permissible to abandon ties altogether if they cause definite harm, because "beautiful avoidance" may be better than harmful interaction. Whoever maintains ties with his kin who cut him off, and shows kindness to those who mistreat him, it is as if he is feeding them hot ashes, and he will always have a supporter from Allah against them.