The law of Shari'ah regarding inheritance, wasiyyats (bequests) and Islamic wills
Q:
1. What are the guidelines of Shari'ah one needs to keep in mind when distributing the inheritance of the deceased and is it compulsory for one to prepare an Islamic will in his lifetime?
2. If one did not prepare an Islamic will, then how will his inheritance be distributed among his heirs after his demise?
3. What should be included in the Islamic will?
4. Is it permissible for a person to bequeath wealth for an heir or a non-heir upon his demise?
5. How will the estate be distributed in the case where one has debts and one has also made a bequest for certain people?
6. What types of bequests are permissible and impermissible in Shari’ah?
A:
1. It should be borne in mind that the laws of inheritance form an integral branch of Deen which has been referred to as “half of Islamic knowledge” by none other than Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). The reason for this is that wealth plays a vital role in a person’s life and assists him greatly in fulfilling many of his ibaadaat.
If the laws of inheritance are not learnt properly and practiced correctly, it will lead to great corruption being created in the Ummah. The lamentable outcome, as commonly witnessed nowadays, is that widows and orphans are overpowered and deprived of their due shares of the inheritance on account of certain individuals being in power and control.
It is therefore imperative for one to refer to the Ulama and equip himself with the relevant masaa’il that pertain to Islamic inheritance, Islamic wills and wasiyyat (bequests), etc. so that he may practise Deen correctly and save himself from falling into sin.
2-3. The Islamic will has nothing to do with stipulating the shares of one’s heirs after one’s demise, as Shari’ah has already predetermined and stipulated the share of each heir. Hence, whether one had a will prepared or not, the inheritance will be distributed according to the Shar'ee laws of of inheritance.
The purpose of preparing an Islamic will is not to determine who will inherit and who will not inherit, but is rather to inform one’s heirs of the outstanding obligations one has regarding the huqooq of Allah Ta'ala or the huqooq of the creation.
Even in the case where one does not have any outstanding obligations which he owes to Allah Ta'ala or the creation, it is still extremely important for him to prepare his Islamic will – especially in non-Muslim countries – in order to avoid legal problems and complications that may occur when winding up the estate.
The most important component of the will is the directive that the estate must be wound up and distributed according to Shari’ah.
One may also include some Deeni advice (naseehah) in the will for his heirs, advising them to remain firm upon Deen after his demise.
4. In Shari’ah, a wasiyyat (bequest) means for a person to suspend the transfer of his ownership of wealth (whether cash or kind not in lieu of any exchange) until after his demise to someone besides an heir. Hence, it is not permissible for one to make a wasiyyat (bequest) for any heir. Making a bequest is only permissible for a non-heir.
5. When a person passes away, the wealth he leaves behind will be used to pay for his burial expenses (i.e. his kafan, transporting the body to the graveyard and purchasing the grave). After paying for the burial expenses, all debts of the deceased will be settled from the estate. Only after all the debts have been settled will the wasiyyats (bequests) of the deceased be fulfilled. The wasiyyats (bequests) will be fulfilled from one third of the wealth that remains after paying for the burial expenses and settling the debts. Lastly, after fulfilling the bequests from one third of the estate, the remaining wealth will be distributed among the heirs of the deceased according to the stipulated shares of inheritance.
6. There are four types of wasiyyats:
a) The first type of wasiyyat is waajib wasiyyat (compulsory wasiyyat). Waajib wasiyyat refers to the wasiyyat one makes regarding unfulfilled obligations which are due to Allah Ta'ala or the servants e.g. qadha salaah, qadha fasts, outstanding zakaat, unsettled debts, amaanah (trusts) of people that are in one’s possession, etc. It is compulsory upon one to make wasiyyat for the abovementioned obligations to be fulfilled or trusts to be returned to their respective owners after his demise. Fidyah will be discharged on behalf of each qadha salaah or each qadha fast from one third of the estate. Similarly, the outstanding zakaat will be paid from one third of the estate.
It is in regard to this type of wasiyyat that Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) mentioned: “It does not befit a Muslim who has something to bequest, to pass even two nights without his wasiyyat being written.”
b) The second type of wasiyyat is a mustahab wasiyyat. Mustahab wasiyyat refers to the wasiyyat that one makes regarding wealth to be given to masaajid, Deeni institutes, or to be spent on the needy, orphans, widows, or in any other avenue of virtue. Making this type of wasiyyat is mustahab.
c) The third type of wasiyyat is a mubaah wasiyyat (permissible wasiyyat). Mubaah wasiyyat refers to the wasiyyat that is made for a wealthy person who is not in need of the wasiyyat. Making this type of wasiyyat for a wealthy person is regarded as a permissible wasiyyat.
d) The fourth type of wasiyyat is a makrooh wasiyyat. Makrooh wasiyyat refers to the wasiyyat that a person makes for someone, knowing that the person will use the wealth for haraam purposes. Making this type of wasiyyat is not permissible (makrooh-e-tahreemi).
And Allah Ta'ala knows best.
عن أبي هريرة قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يا أبا هريرة تعلموا الفرائض وعلموه فإنه نصف العلم وهو ينسى وهو أول شيء ينزع من أمتي (سنن ابن ماجة، الرقم: 2719)
عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ما حق امرئ مسلم له شيء يوصي فيه يبيت ليلتين إلا ووصيته مكتوبة عنده (صحيح البخاري، الرقم: 2738)
(هي تمليك مضاف إلى ما بعد الموت) عينا كان أو دينا قلت يعني بطريق التبرع ليخرج نحو الإقرار بالدين فإنه نافذ من كل المال كما سيجيء ولا ينافيه وجوبها لحقه تعالى فتأمله قال الشامي: (قوله ولا ينافيه إلخ) جواب سؤال يرد على قوله يعني بطريق التبرع تقريره ظاهر وأشار بقوله فتأمله إلى دقة الجواب وذلك لأن الواجب لحقه تعالى لما سقط بالموت أشبه التبرع ولم يكن كديون العباد اهـ ح (رد المحتار 6/648)
أقول هذا مبني على أن المراد بالتبرع ما إن شاء فعله وإن شاء تركه وعلى ما قدمناه يراد به ما كان مجانا لا بمقابلة عوض وبه يندفع السؤال (رد المحتار 6/248)
(وتجوز بالثلث للأجنبي) عند عدم المانع (وإن لم يجز الوارث ذلك لا الزيادة عليه إلا أن تجيز ورثته بعد موته) (رد المحتار 6/650)
يبدء من تركة الميت بتجهيزه ثم بدينه ثم وصيته ثم يقسم بين ورثته (البحر الرائق 9/365)
(وهي) على ما في المجتبى أربعة أقسام (واجبة بالزكاة) والكفارة (و) فدية (الصيام والصلاة التي فرط فيها) ومباحة لغني ومكروهة لأهل فسوق (وإلا فمستحبة) (الدر المختار 6/648)
قال العلامة ابن عابدين رحمه الله (قوله وهي على ما في المجتبى) عبارته والوصية أربعة أقسام واجبة كالوصية برد الودائع والديون المجهولة ومستحبة كالوصية بالكفارات وفدية الصلاة والصيام ونحوها ومباحة كالوصية للأغنياء من الأجانب والأقارب ومكروهة كالوصية لأهل الفسوق والمعاصي اهـ وفيه تأمل لما قاله في البدائع الوصية بما عليه من الفرائض والواجبات كالحج والزكاة والكفارات واجبة اهـ شرنبلالية ومشى الزيلعي على ما في البدائع وفي المواهب تجب على مديون بما عليه لله تعالى أو للعباد وهذا ما مشى عليه المصنف خلافا لما في المجتبى من التفرقة بين حقوقه تعالى وحقوق العباد وما مر من سقوط ما وجب لحقه تعالى بالموت لا يدل على عدم الوجوب لأن المراد سقوط أدائها وإلا فهي في ذمته فقول الشارح على ما في المجتبى أي من حيث التقسيم إلى الأربعة تأمل (قوله ومباحة لغني) لعل المراد إذا لم يقصد القربة أما لو أوصى له لكونه من أهل العلم أو الصلاح إعانة له أو لكونه رحما كاشحا أو ذا عيال فينبغي ندبها تأمل (قوله ومكروهة لأهل فسوق) يرد عليه ما في صحيح البخاري لعل الغني يعتبر فيتصدق والسارق يستغني بها عن السرقة والزانية عن الزنا وكان مراده ما إذا غلب على ظنه أنه يصرفها للفسوق والفجور اهـ رحمتي (رد المحتار 6/648)
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