Gifts

Gifting of the house and inheritance

Q: My father had eight brothers and one sister. From the eight brothers, my grandfather had a small son. The small son’s hand was cut off in an accident when he was studying. 

Now, my grandfather gave his house to his young son whose age was 25 because his hand got cut, but my grandfather only gave him the house, not the things in the house. At the time when my grandfather gave him the house, my grandfather and grandmother were also staying in the house. After my young uncle began damaging the house, my grandfather took the house back and gave it to my grandmother. My grandfather gave my grandmother the house and everything inside the house. Thereafter, my grandfather passed away. 

My grandmother then decided to give the house to my other uncle. She told him that he can take the land, build on it, and whatever is the existing property, after breaking it e.g. the tiles, the wood etc., he should distribute it among the other brothers. However, he got angry and never took anything. 

My grandmother then came to my father’s house and gave him the entire property (the house and everything inside the house). My father was the eldest son. My father then sold the property for seven hundred thousand rupees. My father wants to know what should be done with this money i.e. who does the money belong to? Should the money be given to all the brothers or can he keep the whole amount for himself?

Parents being just in giving gifts to their children

Q: My aunt has 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. In our culture mothers give gifts to their daughters and their families (daughter's husband and children) once during the winter and once during the summer time. Is it possible for my aunt to give gifts only to one of her daughters?

My uncle does not work, so she gets the money from her sons. I'm asking this question because we have read that we have to be just in giving gifts to our children.

She got to know that this rule (being just in gift-giving) is valid only when the mother is getting money from her husband.

Accepting a gift that is being returned after a strained relationship

Q: Zaid and Amar had a very good relationship. During this time Zaid had given some gifts of cash and also some items to Amar. At the time the gifts were received and accepted and also used. Recently some issues arose due to which the relationship is very strained and Amar is very upset with Zaid. Amar has now sent back an amount of cash equivalent to the hadya that was given to him. He has also sent the gifted item back which had been previously accepted and used as well. The questions are:

1. Will the cash sent by Amar be deemed to be a return of the actual gift that was given to him, and will Zaid be obliged to take it back?

2. Will the item returned, which was accepted and used, be deemed as a return of the actual gift?

Gifting a Kruger coin

Q: Is it permissible to purchase and keep or give as hadiya etc. a Kruger coin, as it contains a picture of a Springbok. (It can be kept in a casing which covers the moorat).

Also, it is not possible to carve out the tasweer from the coin. Many people give Kruger coins as Mahr etc. What would be Mufti sahebs advise on this.