{"id":1366,"date":"2011-09-01T18:17:02","date_gmt":"2011-09-01T18:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bakkah.net:\/en\/?p=1366"},"modified":"2011-09-01T19:18:47","modified_gmt":"2011-09-01T19:18:47","slug":"wasiyyah-bequest-irth-inheritence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wasiyyah-bequest-irth-inheritence.htm","title":{"rendered":"Clarifying the Difference Between a Wasiyyah (Bequethal) and Irth (Inheritance)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of Allaah, the Possessor of Infinite Mercy, the Justly Merciful…<\/em><\/p>\n

Allaah says: [1]\u00a0<\/p>\n

( After (the distribution of) a wasiyyah<\/em> (bequethal) that was intended, or a debt (owed)\u00a0)<\/span><\/strong><\/center>In this verse, Allaah lays down the legislation for how irth<\/em> (inheritance)\u00a0is to be distributed.\u00a0\u00a0Then, He legislates that the irth<\/em> is to be distributed after any wasiyyahs<\/em> (bequethals) or debts.\u00a0\u00a0In the next verse as well, Allaah repeats this same distinction three more times.<\/p>\n

From the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu \u2018alayhe wa sallam<\/em>):<\/p>\n

\u201cVerily Allaah has given every person his true rights, so there can be no wasiyyah<\/em><\/strong><\/span> (bequethal) for a waarith<\/em> (one who receives irth<\/em>), and the child is for the (owner of the) bed, and the fornicator gets the stone (ie. nothing)\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/span> [2]<\/p>\n

Here the Messenger (sallallaahu \u2018alayhe wa sallam<\/em>) forbids the one who receives irth<\/em> from also receiving a wasiyyah<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0So obviously they are two separate things with different rulings.<\/p>\n

What exactly is a wasiyyah<\/em> then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ibn Rushd\u00a0Al-Hafeed (d.595), the author of Bidaayatul-Mujtahid<\/em>, said, \u201cThe wasiyyah<\/em> in a nutshell is a man giving a gift from his wealth to another or a group of people after his death, or that he frees his slave, whether he mentions the word \u2018wasiyyah\u2019<\/em> specifically or not.\u201d [3]<\/p>\n

So the wasiyyah<\/em> is that which is given to someone according to the wishes of the deceased.\u00a0\u00a0It can be expressed verbally or in writing, and then it is witnessed.\u00a0\u00a0In the West, it is similar to when a man writes someone in his will to receive his house, car, or a sum of money.<\/p>\n

We have been prohibited from taking the irth<\/em> (inheritance) of the non-Muslims, according to the authentic\u00a0hadeeth:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Muslim may not take the irth<\/em> of the kaafir<\/em>, nor may the kaafir<\/em> take the irth<\/em> of the Muslim.\u201d<\/strong><\/span> [4]<\/center>Does this prohibition also include the wasiyyah<\/em> as well?\u00a0\u00a0Let us look to some of the statements of the scholars.<\/p>\n

The statements of the scholars concerning a Muslim\u2019s wasiyyah<\/em> to a non-Muslim<\/strong><\/p>\n

With regards to a Muslim giving a wasiyyah<\/em> to a non-Muslim,\u00a0the scholars have unanimously agreed that it is permissible<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ibn \u2018Abdil-Barr<\/strong> (d.464) said, \u201cThere is no differing among the scholars that I know of over the permissibility of a Muslim giving a wasiyyah<\/em> to his non-Muslim relative, since they do not inherit from him.\u00a0\u00a0And Safiyyah bint Huyay gave a wasiyyah<\/em> to her Jewish brother.\u201d [5]<\/p>\n

Ibn Qudaamah Al-Maqdisee<\/strong> (d.620) said, “The permissibility of a Muslim giving a wasiyyah<\/em> to a thimmee<\/em> (non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) has been reported from Shurayh, Ash-Sha\u2019bee, Ath-Thawree, Ash-Shaafi\u2019ee, Is-haaq, and the Hanafees.\u00a0\u00a0I do not know anyone who differed with them.\u201d [6]<\/p>\n

Al-Maardeenee<\/strong> (d.912) said, \u201cIt (the wasiyyah<\/em>) is allowed to be given to the poor people of a specific area, or a band of them, and to a thimmee<\/em>, a young child, or an insane person by agreement of the scholars.\u201d [7]<\/p>\n

The statements of the scholars concerning the kaafir\u2019s wasiyyah to a Muslim<\/strong><\/p>\n

The scholars have also agreed that a Muslim may accept the wasiyyah<\/em> of a non-Muslim.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ibn Al-Munthir<\/strong> (d.318) said, relating a consensus, “All of the people of knowledge that we take from have agreed that the wasiyyah<\/em> of a thimmee<\/em> (a non-Muslim\u00a0living under\u00a0Muslim rule) is permissible, so long as the thing given itself is permissible to possess.\u201d [8]<\/p>\n

Ibn Rushd\u00a0Al-Hafeed<\/strong> (d.595),\u00a0said, “And the wasiyyah<\/em> of a non-Muslim\u00a0is permissible to take according to them (the imaams), so long as the wasiyyah<\/em> is not something haraam<\/em> in itself.\u201d [9]<\/p>\n

Ibn Qudaamah Al-Maqdasee<\/strong> (d.620)\u00a0said, “So when it is permissible for a Muslim to give a wasiyyah<\/em> to a thimmee<\/em>, then a thimmee\u2019s<\/em> wasiyyah<\/em> to a Muslim, or to another thimmee<\/em>, has even more right (to legitimacy).\u201d [10]<\/p>\n

Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-\u2018Uthaymeen<\/strong> (d.1421) said, \u201cIf someone asks, \u2018How can one\u2019s parents not be considered waariths <\/em>(inheritors)?\u2019\u00a0\u00a0The answer: That is possible, like when the mother or father has a different religion, then they do not take any irth<\/em>, rather they can be given a wasiyyah<\/em>(instead).\u201d [11]<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fulaan (like saying So-and-So in Arabic) is a Muslim.\u00a0 If one of\u00a0Fulaan’s\u00a0non-Muslim relatives dies, leaving\u00a0for Fulaan a sum of money or some kind of property or wealth, having specified it for Fulaan, either in writing or by speech or gesture, and, as a result, that wealth is then offered to Fulaan, then it is permissible for Fulaan to accept it, and it is from Allaah\u2019s halaal<\/em> provisions for him.\u00a0\u00a0And Allaah is al-Muwaffiq, the One who grants success.<\/p>\n

Written by: Moosaa Richardson<\/em><\/p>\n

ST Archives:<\/strong> 04-11-2003<\/em><\/p>\n

FOOTNOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] The meaning of Soorah An-Nisaa\u2019<\/em> 4:11<\/p>\n

[2] Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmithee<\/em> (#2120)<\/p>\n

[3] Bidaayatul-Mujtahid<\/em> (4\/180)<\/p>\n

[4] Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim<\/p>\n

[5] At-Tamheed<\/em> (13\/239)<\/p>\n

[6] Al-Mughnee<\/em> (8\/512)<\/p>\n

[7] Irshaad Al-Faaridh<\/em> (p.275)<\/p>\n

[8] Al-Ijmaa\u2019<\/em> (p.275)<\/p>\n

[9] Bidaayatul-Mujtahid<\/em> (4\/173)<\/p>\n

[10] Al-Mughnee<\/em> (8\/512)<\/p>\n

[11] Tafseer Soorah Al-Baqarah<\/em> (2\/309)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of Allaah, the Possessor of Infinite Mercy, the Justly Merciful… Allaah says: [1]\u00a0 ( After (the distribution of) a wasiyyah (bequethal) that was intended, or a debt (owed)\u00a0)In this verse, Allaah lays down the legislation for how … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85,134,64,118,54],"tags":[131,132,133],"class_list":["post-1366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiqh-islamic-rulings","category-inheritance","category-original-articles","category-quran-studies","category-st-archives","tag-inheriting-from-non-muslims","tag-irth","tag-wasiyyah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1366"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1369,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1366\/revisions\/1369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bakkah.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}