4. Surah An-Nisaa

Misappropriation of the property of the orphans The fourth verse (10) carries a severe warning for those who pilfer or dispose off the property of orphans unlawfully. It declares: 'Surely, those who eat up the property of the orphans unjustly, they only eat fire into their bellies, and soon they shall enter a blazing Hell.' This verse equates the property of the orphan with the fire of Hell. Many commentators have interpreted this metaphorically, that is, eating the property of the orphans unjustly is like stuffing one's stomach with fire - because this is what is going to happen to him ultimately in the Hereafter. But, those with deeper insights and proofs do not support the presence of some figure of speech here. According to them, whatever is eaten up from the property of the orphan unlawfully is, in reality, nothing but fire - even though, it may not look like fire at that time. This is like somebody saying that the match-box in his hand was fire, or the piece of arsenic, a killer. Obviously, handling a match-box does not burn the hand, nor does arsenic kill a man by simple handling, not even by putting it in the mouth. However, a slight friction reveals that somebody who called the match-box a fire was right; and similarly, once the arsenic goes down the throat, we know that the one who called arsenic a killer was true. Common generalizations of the Holy Qur'an also support the view that whatever deeds, good or evil, man is doing, these very deeds are the trees, the flowers and the fruits of Paradise, or the embers of Hell - even though, their form here is different, but these will come forth on the Day of Doom transformed in their true forms. The Holy Qur'an says: وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرً‌ا (Kahf - 18:49)that is, on the Day of Doom, they shall find what they did - present! In other words, the punishment and the reward they shall see will be, in reality, the result of their own deeds. It appears in some narrations that those who devour the orphan's property unjustly will be raised on the Day of Doom in a state that flames of fire will be seen coming out from inside their bellies through their mouths, nostrils, ears and eyes. And the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that a set of people will be raised on the Day of Doom with their mouths erupting with fire. His noble Companions asked as to who these could be. He said: "Have you not read it in the Qur'an? (which says): إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَالَ الْيَتَامَىٰ ظُلْمًا (those who eat up the property of the orphans unjustly)." (Ibn Kathir, v.1, p. 456) The gist of the meaning of the verse is that the property of the orphan eaten up unjustly will be, in reality, the fire of Hell, though it may not be sensed as fire at that time. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has given very clear instructions to observe most stringent precaution in this matter. Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: اُحَرِّجُ مالَ الضَّیفین المرأۃ والیتیم (I warn you to abstain from the property of the two weak ones - the woman and the orphan.) (Ibn Kathir, v.1, p.456) A review at this point shows that the entire first section of Surah al-Nisa' contains injunctions relating to orphans. They bid protection of the property of the orphans, avoidance of encroaching on their property as one's own and the giving of their due share from the property they have received in inheritance; and they forbid the hasty consumption of the property of the orphans for fear of their growing mature and assuming its control, or the taking of orphaned girls in marriage and lowering their dower, or to usurp their property. In the end the text says that eating up the property of the orphan unjustly is filling of bellies with fire because, after their death, such people will be recompensed by fire filled in their bellies. Mark the use of the word, 'ya'kuluna' and the warning given to those who 'eat up' the property of the orphan. It means that using the property of the orphan in what-ever manner it may be - eating, drinking, consuming, utilizing - is totally unlawful, and a sure cause of Divine wrath. The punishment of eating up what belongs to somebody else unjustly and without any right covers all sorts of uses. When someone dies, the right of every inheritor attaches itself to everything he owns, to each and every part, to everything big or small. It is tragic that the minor children of the deceased become orphans. Mostly, such children face a certain degree of injustice and excess in every home and everyone who assumes control of the property after the death of the father of these children - whether an uncle or elder brother or mother or some guardian or trustee - falls into doing things forbidden in this section. To begin with, they just go on postponing the distribution of the property for years together, spending a little here and there to feed and clothe these children. After that, they open up and become all too liberal in spending this jointly-held property on religiously unacceptable practices, customs and wasteful heads of expenditure. They would even spend it on their own person and go on to the limit of manipulating legal documents entering the names of their own children in place of the orphans. These are things hardly a home remains unaffected from. The donations made for orphans in religious schools and orphan-ages must be spent on them. Not spending these on the orphans is a form of 'eating up' the property of the orphan. Rulings 1. Inheritance includes everything owned by the deceased, even the-clothes on the dead body. People tend to give these out in charity without realizing that they belong to what has been left by the deceased. There are places where copper utensils are given out to the poor well before the total property is formally distributed, although minors and absentees from among the inheritors have rights in all such things. The proper method is to first distribute the property in accordance with whatever shares are to be received by children, wife, parents, sisters and anyone else as stipulated by the Islamic law of inheritance. Once the ownership passes to sharers, it is upto them who can, if they so desire willingly, give away part of it in charity on behalf of the deceased. If the receivers of such shares wish to do that jointly, let them make sure that they are all adults, for the permission of the minor is not valid. As far as inheritors who are absent are concerned, nothing can be taken from their shares without their permission. 2. The sheet spread over the Janazah while carrying the deceased to the graveyard is not part of the required shroud کَفَن (Kafan). It is not permissible to buy it from the proceeds of the property left by the deceased, because that is something held jointly. However, if someone was to cover the cost on his own, that would be permissible. There are places where a prayer-mat is torn out of the cloth purchased for the shroud and is used by the Imam who leads the janazah prayers. The mat is later given to the Imam. This expense is extra to the needed shroud and it is not permissible to buy it from the proceeds of the hitherto combined inheritance. 3. In some areas, new utensils are procured for bathing the deceased and which are broken after use. First of all, there is no need to buy new ones for a bath can be given using utensils already in the house; and if, for any reason, they have to be purchased, then, breaking them is not permissible. It not only amounts to wasting of property but also means causing loss to orphans and absent inheritors whose due rights are attached to the total property. 4. Any expenses before the distribution of inheritance, such as entertainment of guests or charity and alms, are totally impermissible. Giving charity and alms in this manner brings no merit or reward for the deceased. In fact, such giving under the notion that it will bring good returns for the departed soul is a far greater sin. The reason is simple. After the death of a person, all his property belongs to the inheritors in proportion to their respective rights in it. Then, there are orphans among them. Giving away things in charity from the combined property which includes the share of the orphan is like stealing from somebody's property and giving it in charity on behalf of the deceased. This is not correct. First distribute the property, then, let the inheritors give in charity from their shares for the good of the deceased, if they so desire. It is better not to go for charity and alms from the combined inheritance even before the actual distribution, even though it be with the permission of inheritors. This is because the permission of whoever is an orphan among the inheritors is not just valid right from the outset. As for the adult ones, it is not necessary that their 'permission' comes out of their willing heart. It is quite possible that they are left with no option but give their permission lest they are disgraced before others. In other words, they may say yes with a heavy heart just to ward off the sense of shame. Let us look at an anecdote ascribed to a pious elder, which will further clarify the issue. This pious elder went to visit a sick Muslim. He had hardly sat with the patient for a little while when the latter died. The sage immediately put out the lamp burning there and gave someone the money to buy oil and re-light the lamp with it. When people around asked him for the reason of his doing so, he said that this lamp was under the ownership of this person until such time that he was alive and it was correct to use that light. Now that the deceased has left this mortal world, his inheritors have the necessary right over everything he owned. So, it is only through the permission of all inheritors that we can use this lamp and since all of them are not present here, this lamp was lighted at a personal cost.

People entitled to inheritance were briefly mentioned in verse 7 of the previous section which also carries details about some kinds of those so entitled. Also given there are their shares under different circumstances. More details in this connection shall be appearing later towards the end of this Surah. Remaining shares have been identified in ahadith. Muslim jurists have collected and codified all details of the rules of inheritance from the Qur'an and Hadith, giving it the status of a permanent science which, in Islamic terminology, is known as عِلمُ الفرایض ` Ilmul-Fara'id (the Science of the Laws of Inheritance). The present verse (11) describes shares for children and parents along with some related aspects of inheritance. INHERITANCE Preliminary Rights on the Property of the deceased According to the principles of Islamic law, the expenses incurred on the shrouding and burial of a Muslim deceased should be the first thing to be paid out of the property left behind by him. This should be done in accordance with Shari'ah avoiding the extremes of extravagance or stinginess. After that, his debts should be paid. If the amount of his debts is just equal to the property left by him, or even more than that, then, there will be no distribution of inheritance and no application of any will. And in case there remains some property after paying debts, or if there are no debts, then, subject to any will made by him which should not be a will of sin, then, this ‘will’ should be carried out to the extent of one-third of his remaining property. If someone makes a will for his entire property, it will not take effect. Such ‘will’ shall be considered valid for only one-third of his property. The fact is that making a will for more than one-third of the property is not appropriate; and if it is done with the intention of excluding inheritors, it becomes a sin. Once the debts are paid and the will has been applied within one-third, the rest of the property should be distributed among the legal heirs, details of which are available in books of فرایض Faraid, the Muslim law of inheritance. Incidentally, if the deceased has made no will, then, following the payment of debts, the whole of the remaining property shall be distributed as inheritance. The share of children As it has appeared in the previous section, the distribution of inheritance shall be on the principle of الاقرب فالا قرب (the nearest, then, the nearest). Since the children of the deceased and his parents are the nearest, therefore, they inherit under all conditions. These rela-tions are the nearest and most direct of all relationships that human beings have, others being indirect. So, the Holy Qur'an takes up their shares first and beginning from the share of children, it says: يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ ۖ لِلذَّكَرِ‌ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ Allah directs you concerning your children: for a male there is a share equal to that of two females. This is a universal rule which entitles boys and girls both as recipients of inheritance, determines the shares of each and, at the same time, unfolds the operative rule in the event the deceased leaves behind both male and female children when their shares in the prop-erty will be distributed in a way that each boy gets twice that of a girl. For instance, if someone leaves behind one boy and two girls, the property will be split in four portions or shares out of which 2/4 will be given to the boy and 1/4 to each girl. The importance of giving shares to girls The Holy Qur'an demonstrates visible concern to ensure that girls are given their share when it mentions the share of girls as a basis for determining the share of boys. In other words, instead of saying - ` for two females there is a share equal to that of one male'- it has elected to say: لِلذَّكَرِ‌ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ (for a male there is a share equal to that of two females.) Those who do not give shares to sisters on the pretext that they have forgone their right are in error, because their sisters usually do not forgo their rights willingly. Done reluctantly, with the knowledge that they are not going to get anything anyway, they think, why create bad blood between brothers and sisters? Such an act of forgiving is not valid under Islamic law. Their claim remains due against brothers - and those who usurp inheritance are terrible sinners. In case minor girls hold shares in such inheritance, not giving them their shares is a sin committed twice by usurping the share of a legal heir and by devouring the property of an orphan. As part of further explanation later, the share of girls has been described by saying: فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاءً فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَ‌كَ It means that, if there is no male child and there are only girls and they are more than one, then, they shall get two-third of the inherited property in which all girls will be equal sharers. The remaining one-third will go to other rightful heirs of the inheritance, such as the parents of the deceased, wife or husband. Two girls and more than two will all share in the two-third. The share of 'more than two' girls appears in the Qur'anic verse very clearly فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ (more than two). However, if there are two girls only, they are governed by the same rule which governs more than two. The proof appears in Hadith: حدثنا مسدد حدثنا بشر بن المفضل حدثنا عبد اللہ بن محمد بن عقيل عن جابر بن عبد اللہ قال خرجنا مع رسول اللہ صلی اللہ عليه وسلم حتی جٔنا امرأة من الأنصار في الأسواق فجات المرأة بابنتين لها فقالت يا رسول اللہ هاتان بنتا ثابت بن قيس قتل معک يوم أحد وقد استفا عمهما مالهما وميراثهما کله فلم يدع لهما مالا إلا أخذه فما تری يا رسول اللہ فوالله لا تنکحان أبدا إلا ولهما مال فقال رسول اللہ صلی اللہ عليه وسلم يقضي اللہ في ذلک قال ونزلت سورة النسا يوصيکم اللہ في أولادکم الآية فقال رسول اللہ صلی اللہ عليه وسلم ادعوا لي المرأة وصاحبها فقال لعمهما أعطهما الثلثين وأعط أمهما الثمن وما بقي فلک (ابو داؤد کتاب الفرایٔض ، وبمعناہ فی الترمذی ابواب الفرایٔض) Sayyidna Jabir ibn ` Abdullah has reported the following event: "Once we went out with the Messenger of Allah s until we passed by an Ansari woman in the neighbourhood of Aswaf. The woman came along with her two girls and said: 0 Messenger of Allah, these two girls are daughters of Thabit ibn Qays (my husband) who fell a martyr at the battle of Uhud while with you. The uncle of these girls has taken possession of whatever they had of their entire inheritance and has left nothing for them. What do you say' about it, 0 Messenger of Allah? By Allah, these girls can never hope to be taken in marriage by anyone unless they have some assets. Then, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، said: Allah will decide in this matter. Sayyidna Jabir says: When this verse of Suratun-un- Nisa يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ was revealed, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: Call that woman and the man she mentioned (the brother of her deceased husband who had taken possession of his entire property). He said to the uncle of the girls: Give the girls two-thirds of the entire property; their mother, one-eighth and what remains is for you. (Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Fara'id Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Fara'id) In the case mentioned in the hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ gave out two-third to two girls as well, following the very rule of more than two which appears in the verse of the Holy Qur'an under reference. After that, it was said: وَإِن كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ. It means: If the deceased left behind one girl only and no other children, then, she will get one-half of what her father or mother have left behind. The rest will go to other inheritors. The share of parents The text, moving to the share of the parents of the deceased, mentions three states: 1. Firstly, the deceased may have left behind parents who are still alive, and children too, whether only one boy or girl, in which case, the father and mother will get 1/6 each. The legacy that remains will go to children, wife or husband. There are particular circumstances when some of the remainder returns back to the father which is in addition to the one-sixth fixed for him. In the terminology of علم الفرایٔض ` Ilmu` l-Fara'id (The Science of the Laws of Inheritance), such entitlement is known as the entitlement of تعصیب "Ta'sib (Agnatic kinship). 2. Secondly, under a situation when the deceased has no children, brothers or sisters, but does have parents still living, the mother will get 1/3 of the inherited property while the father will get the remaining two-third. This rule governs a situation when the husband or the wife of the deceased is not alive to share in his inheritance. If the husband or wife is present, their share will be taken out first and from what remains, 1/3 will go to the mother and 2/3 to the father. 3. Thirdly, under a situation when the deceased has no children but does have brothers and sisters whose number is two, whether two brothers or two sisters, or more than two, then, under that situation, the mother will get one-sixth and, if there are no other heirs, the remaining 5/6 will go to the father. As evident, the presence of brothers and sisters has reduced the share of the mother, but the brothers and sisters will get nothing because the father is nearer as compared to brothers and sisters. What remains will go to the father. In this situation, the 'share of the mother has come to 1/6 instead of 1/3. In the terminology of 'Fara'id', this is known as "Hajb al-Nuqsan". The presence of these brothers and sisters causing reduction in the share of parents, irrespective of whether they are real or whether they are from the same father but different mother or whether from the same mother but different father, under all such conditions, their presence will reduce the share of the mother - subject to their being more than one. The text, after describing the fixed share, says: آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ لَا تَدْرُ‌ونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَ‌بُ لَكُمْ نَفْعًا ۚ فَرِ‌يضَةً مِّنَ اللَّـهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا It means: 'These shares for children and parents have been determined by Allah Almighty Himself in His infinite wisdom because He is Wise and He knows everything. The shares fixed have great considerations behind them. If the distribution of inheritance was left to your opinion, you would have made beneficialness the criterion of such distribution. But, who will be the best to receive or deliver real benefit is something which would have been difficult for you to ascertain with any measure of certainty. Therefore, 'nearness in kinship' was preferred to 'being beneficial' as the criterion of the injunction. This verse of the Holy Qur'an clearlydeclares that the shares of inheritance determined by Allah ‘Almighty are settled injunctions from Him. Nobody has any right to enforce opinion or to increase or decrease its stipulations. These should be accepted whole-heartedly This command from everyone's Creator and Master is based on what is wise and beneficial for human beings. There is no aspect of benefit outside the expanse of His knowledge and there is no command He gives bereft of some or the other element of wisdom. Man cannot, all by himself, recognize his gain and loss in the real sense. If this question of the distribution of inheritance was left to man's personal opinion, it was certain that man would not have decided correctly because of his limitations in understanding and, as a result of which, lack of moderation and justice would have affected the distribution of inheritance. So, Allah Almighty, in His most exalted majesty, took this responsibility in His hands so that justice and equity reign supreme in the distribution of property and the capital left by the deceased circulates in the hands of competent inheritors in a manner which is just and equitable.

Upto this point, the text has described the shares of those competent to inherit, those who had the affinity of lineage and birth with the deceased. The present verse talks about some others who do have the competence but are not related by lineage. Instead, they are related by marriage. Details appear in the Commentary. Commentary The share of the husband and the wife In this part of verse 12, the shares of the husband and the wife have been determined. The share of the husband has been mentioned first, perhaps to show its importance because after the death of the wife, the husband becomes part of some other family. If the wife dies at the home of her parents with her assets too being there, her people may avoid giving the share due to the husband. By describing the right of the husband first, the Holy Qur'an has possibly condemned this practice. To explain in details, it means that in case the deceased wife has left no child behind, the husband will get, after the payment of debt and execution of will, one-half of the total property left by the deceased. Out of the remaining half, other heirs, such as the parents of the deceased, her brothers and sisters, will get their shares according to rules set for them. If the deceased wife has left children - one or two or more, whether male or female, either from the same husband, or from some previous husband, then, the present husband will get, after the payment of debt and execution of will, one-fourth of the total property left by the deceased woman. Shares from the remaining three-fourth will go to other heirs. If it is the husband who dies leaving his wife behind and leaves no children, the wife will get, after the payment of debt and the execution of will, one-fourth of the total property left by the deceased. And if he has left a child - either from the present wife or from some other wife - she will get, after the settlement of debt and will, a one-eight share. And if the deceased husband had more than one wife, all alive at the time of his death, the attending details shall remain the same, however, the share prescribed for the 'wife' (i.e. 1/4 or 1/8) shall be divided equally between all the wives. In other words, every woman will not get a share of one-fourth and one-eighth. Instead, all wives will share the one-fourth or one-eight equally. Then, under both these conditions, the inheritance which remains after settling the share of the husband/ wife will be distributed among other heirs left by them. Ruling It must be ascertained before the' distribution of inheritance that the مہر mahr (dower) of the wife has been paid. If the deceased has not paid the mahr of his wife, this will be taken as debt, and will have to be paid first from the total property, like all other debts. The inheri-tance will be distributed only after that. It should be noted that the woman, after having received her mahr, shall go on to receive her fixed share in the inheritance as a competent inheritor. And in case, the property left by the deceased is not more than the value, of dower, and nothing remains after it is paid, the entire property will be given to the woman against her debt of mahr very much like other debts and, as a result, no heir will receive any share from the inheritance thus used up. After having made a brief mention of rights of relations emerging from lineage and marriage, the text now introduces the injunction which covers the inheritance of a particular deceased who has left no children or parents, details of which appear below: The inheritance of Kalalah This latter part of verse 12 describes the injunction relating to the inheritance of Kalalah. There have been many definitions of Kalalah. Al-Qurtubi reports these in his Tafsir. According to the most well-known definition, 'A person who dies leaving no ascendants and descendants is Kalalah.' ` Allamah al-Alusi, the author of Ruh al-Ma'ani says that Kalalah is really a verbal noun used in the sense of Kalal' meaning 'to become exhausted' which denotes 'weakness'. The name Kalalah has been applied to every relationship other than that of father and son because that relationship is weak as compared to the relationship of father and son. Moreover, the word, Kalalah has also been applied to the deceased who left no son or father to inherit, as well as to the inheritor who is neither the son nor the father of the deceased. The lexical derivation requires that the word, ذو dhu, should be deemed as understood though not expressed explicitly. Thus Kalalah will be taken in the sense of ذو Dhu Kalalah, meaning 'one having weak relation'. Later on, the word also came to be applied to the property left as inheritance by a deceased having no son and father. In gist, if a person, man or woman, dies and leaves behind neither father nor grandfather nor children, but does leave a brother or sister from the same mother and different father, the brother will get 1/6 and, if there is none, the sister will get 1/6. However, if they are more than one (for example, there may be one brother and one sister, or two brothers and two sisters) then, they all will share one-third of the entire property of the deceased. Here, the male will not get twice that of the female. ` Allamah al-Qurtubi says: ولیس فی الفرایٔض موضع یکون فیہ الذَّکرُ و الاُنثیٰ سوآً اِلَّا فی میراث الاخوَّۃِ لِلاُم ط The share of the brother and sister Let it be clear that this verse refers to the share of Akhyafi brothers and sisters (i.e. from the same mother and different fathers; also referred to as half-brothers and half-sisters). Though, this restriction has not been mentioned in the present verse, but consensus holds it as creditable. The Qira'ah or rendition of Sayyidna Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas ؓ in this verse is: وَلَهُ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ من اُمِّہ (and he has a brother or sister from his mother) as has been reported by al-Qurtubi, al-Alusi, al-Jassas and others. Although this rendition has not come to us through تواتُر tawatur (a consistent narration of a very large number of persons in all ages) but because of the consensus of the entire Muslim ummah, it is worth practicing. Another clear proof is that Allah Almighty mentions the inheritance of Kalalah at the end of Surah Al-Nis-a' as well. If, it has been said there, there is one sister, she will get half. And if there is one brother, he will inherit the entire property of his sister. And if there are two sisters, they will get 2/3. And if there are several brothers and sisters, the male will be given twice that of the female. This injunction appearing at the end of the Surah refers to Aini (real and full) brothers and sisters, and to Allati (from the same father and different mothers) brothers and sisters. If ` Allati and ` Aini' brothers and sisters were to be included here, it will cause a contradiction in injunctions. The issues regarding wi11 (Wasiyyah) The shares of inheritance have been described thrice in this section and it has been said that this distribution of shares comes after the execution of will and the payment of debt. As it has been stated earlier, one-third of what remains of the property, after taking care of the cost of the funeral for the deceased, and payment of debts, shall be applied to the execution of the will. If the will exceeds the extent of one-third, it is not legally enforceable. According to the rule of Shari'ah, the payment of debt comes before the execution of will. If the entire property is used up in paying debts, there will be no will to execute and no property to distribute. At all the three places where 'will' has been mentioned, 'it' appears before 'debt'. As obvious, this gives the impression that the right of 'will' precedes 'debt'. Removing this misunderstanding, Sayyidna ؓ said: انکم تقرأؤن ھذہ الایۃ مِن بعد وصیَّۃ ۔ مِّن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ تُوصُونَ بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ (مشکوٰۃ بحوالہ ترمذی ص 264) (You recite the verse: مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِينَ بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ settling the will they might have made, or debt' [ where 'will' comes first ] but [ practically ] the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، may peace be upon him, has settled, 'debt' before 'will' ). Still, we have to know the point as to why will follows debt 'practically' while, in words, it has been mentioned earlier. In this connection, the author of Ruh al-Ma'ani has this to say: و تقدیم الوصیہ علی الدین ذکراً مع ان الدین مقدم علیھا حکما لاظھار کمال العنایہ بتنفیذھا لکونھا مظنۃ للتفریط فی ادایٔھا الخ۔ It means that the mention of will before debt in this verse is to emphasize upon the enforcement of the wills. Since the beneficiary of a will deserves it without any price paid by him, and often without having a kinship with the testator, it was likely that the inheritors ignore to enforce it or, at least, may cause unnecessary delay in its execution, because they may have not liked to see the property that was to be inherited by them, going to somebody else. So, it was to keep up the importance of will that it was mentioned before debt. Then, it is also not necessary that every person incurs a debt, and if a person incurs it during his lifetime, it is not necessary, that the said debt remains unpaid upto the time of his death. And even if the debt was due to be paid at the time of death, even then, since the claim of debt comes from the debtors to which the inheritors cannot say no, the likelihood of any shortcoming in this respect is slim. This is contrary to the case of will in which the deceased, when he bequeaths part of his property, earnestly desires that he should invest it in something good which serves as ongoing charity on his behalf. Since, there is no chance of a claim on this bequeathed property from any side, there was a possibility that the inheritors themselves might fall. into some sort of shortcoming, so, it was to offset this likelihood that the 'will' has been mentioned first everywhere as a special measure. Rulings 1. If there is no debt and no will, the entire property, after taking care of the funeral expenses, will be distributed over the inheritors. Making a will in favour of a heir is not lawful. If someone makes a will in favour of his son, daughter, husband or wife, or for someone else who is going to get a share in his inheritance, then, this will is not enforceable. The inheritors will get what is coming to them as their share in the inheritance. They are not entitled to more than that. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said in his famous address on the occasion of his last Hajj: اِنَ اللہ قد اَعطٰی کُل ذِی حَقِّ حَقَّہ فلا وصیَّۃ لِوارث۔ ‘(مشکٰوۃ بحوالہ ابوداؤد ص 265) (Surely, Allah has given every person his (or her) right. So, there is no will for an inheritor.) (Mishkat with reference to Abu Dawud, p. 265) However, should other inheritors permit, the will made in favour of a particular inheritor, may be executed first and, then, the rest of the property. may be distributed in accordance with the method laid down by the Shari'ah, in which the particular inheritor will also get his fixed share from the inheritance. So Shari'ah me hadith narrations do carry the exception of اِلَّا ان یشآء الوَرَثۃ (unless inheritors wish). (as in al-Hidayah) The words غَيْرَ‌ مُضَارٍّ‌ (causing no damage) appearing after the rules of inheritence of Kalalah have a special significance. They are to warn that even though the execution of the will and paying off the debts have precedence over the shares of the heirs, yet this rule should not be misused to cause harm to the genuine inheritors. If anyone makes a will or makes a false admission of indebtedness so as to deprive inheritors, then, he is doing something strictly forbidden and is committing a major sin. There are many ways damage can be done through debt and will. For example, one may deliberately lie that he is in debt, just to let that be given to a friend or somebody else. Or, he may show something special which he owns personally as something he holds in trust for somebody so that it can stay out of the total inheritable property. Or, one may make a will for property beyond the extent of one-third. Or, he lies about an unpaid loan he gave to somebody and says that the debt was paid off so that it does not pass on to the inheritors. Or, one may, during his illness culminating in death (مرضَ الموت ), make a gift of more than one-third in the name of somebody. These are forms of causing damage. Every legator who is going to bid farewell to this mortal world should do his best to stay away from causing such damages during the last moments of his life. It should be noticed that although the words 'causing no damage' have appeared only with the rules relating to Kalalah, however, the rule laid down by them is general and is also understood at two previous places where the precedence of will and debt has been mentioned in these verses. Therefore, it is not the Kalalah only who should refrain from causing harm to his inheritors, but the same rule applies to all persons who wish to make a will. The emphasis on distribution according to fixed shares Towards the end of the verse, after the shares of inheritance have been described, Allah Almighty has said: وَصِيَّةً مِّنَ اللَّـهِ (All this is prescribed by Allah). It means that it is imperative to act upon what-ever has been prescribed in relation to shares as fixed and the payment of debt and the execution of will as emphasized. Being a mandate and injunction of supreme significance, one should do nothing to contravene it. Then, as additional warning it was said: وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌ (And Allah is All-Knowing, Forbearing). It means that Allah knows everything and He has apportioned these shares knowing everybody's true state of being as in His knowledge. Whoever obeys and acts in accordance with these injunctions, this good deed of his shall not remain outside the reach of His knowledge. And whoever contravenes these injunctions, this evil conduct of his shall certainly appear as it is in the knowledge of Allah for which he shall be held accountable. In addition to that, if a deceased person has caused damage to his heirs through debt or will, Allah knows that as well. So, one should never be fearless from Allah's punishment. However, it is quite possible that Allah Almighty may not punish a person right here in this mortal world, because He is Forbearing. But, the one who disobeys and acts in contravention should better not deceive himself by thinking that he really got away.

Commentary It is the consistent style of the Holy Qur'an that whenever it has described the beliefs and injunctions prescribed by Allah, it is followed by promises of reward or warnings of punishment. This is what has been done here in these two verses after mentioning the rules of inheritance. The purpose is to stress upon Muslims to obey these injunctions. SOME ADDITIONAL RULES OF INHERITANCE A Muslim cannot inherit from a Kafir Although, the distribution of inheritance is based on nearness of kinship, but there are certain exceptions to this rule. First of all, the deceased and his inheritor should not be from two different religions. Therefore, a Muslim will not inherit from any kafir and no kafir from a Muslim, no matter what lineal relationship they may have between them. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: لا یرِثُ المسلِم الکافرِ ولا الکاففرُ المَسلم (مشکوٰۃ ص 263) (The Muslim does not inherit the kafir, nor does the kafir (inherit) the Muslim.) (Mishkat, p. 263) This rule relates to a situation when a person is a Muslim or a kafir by birth. But, if a person who was first a Muslim, turned away from Islam and became an apostate and died or was killed in that state of apostasy, all his earnings while being a Muslim shall go to his Muslim inheritors, and whatever he may have earned after his apostasy shall be deposited in the Bayt al-Mal (Public Exchequer). But, if a woman becomes an apostate, all her property, whether acquired during her days of Islam or during apostasy, shall go to her Muslim inheritors. However, an apostate as such, man or woman, shall not inherit from any Muslim nor from any other apostate. The inheritance of the killer If someone kills a person from whose property he was entitled to receive a share, he shall no longer remain his inheritor and shall be excluded from the inheritance of the person whom he has killed. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: القاتلُ لا یرِثُ (مشکوٰۃ ص 263) (The killer shall not inherit.) (Mishkat, p. 263) However, some forms of qatl al-khata' (accidental or unintended homicide) are excepted from this rule, details of which appear in books of Fiqh. The inheritance of the unborn child If a person leaves some children and his wife is pregnant, then this unborn child will also be counted among inheritors. But, since it is either difficult or uncertain to determine the sex or the number of children in the mother's womb, it would be appropriate to postpone the distribution of inheritance until the birth of the child. If, the distribution of property has to be made necessarily, then, as an expedient measure, one must suppose two situations in terms of a boy or a girl and distribute to the inheritors the lesser portion coming out of the two situations. The remaining should be held for the child-to-be-born. The inheritance of a woman in the period of ` iddah عِدَّت In case a person divorces his wife and the divorce is revocable, and this person dies before the revocation of the divorce and the expiry of his wife's waiting period, then this woman will get a share in the inheritance, for the marriage is in force. If a person divorces his wife during his sickness culminating in his death, even though the divorce is irrevocable or pronounced thrice, and he died before the expiry of the waiting period, even then, this woman will get a share in the inheritance. And in order to make her inherit, the longer of the two waiting periods shall be taken as operative in the following manner The waiting period following a divorce is three menstrual periods and the waiting period following the death of the husband is four (lunar) months and ten days. The waiting period out of the two which lasts longer shall be prescribed as the waiting period for the aforesaid woman so that the woman may get a share in the inheritance as far as possible. And if a person divorces his wife, irrevocably or by pronouncing it thrice, prior to any sickness culminating in his death and, a few days later he passes away during the period of his wife's waiting period, then, she will not get a share in the inheritance under this situation. However, if the divorce given was revocable, she will inherit. Ruling: If a wife secures a separation from the husband at her own instance (خُلَع : khul`) within the period of his sickness which culminates in his death, then, she will not be an inheritor, even though her husband may die during her waiting period. The inheritance of 'asbat' اسباط There are twelve heirs for whom specified shares have been settled and fixed by the Shari'ah known as Fara` id. These heirs are called اصحاب الفروض ashabul-furad, that is, the possessors of obligatory shares in inheritance as determined in the Holy Qur'an.' These have been explained earlier. If there is no heir from the category of اصحاب الفروض ashabul-furud or there remains some property after shares have been given to اصحاب الفروض ashabul-furud, this remainder or residue is given to ` asbat (agnatic heir, or residuary). There are times when one person alone inherits in both capacities. There are other situations when the children of the deceased and his father too become ` asbat and so do the offspring of the father, that is, the brother. There are several kinds of asbat or agnates, details of which appear in the کتب الفرأٰض books of Fara'id. To illustrate, here is an example: Zayd died leaving behind four heirs - wife, daughter, mother and uncle. Zayd's property will be divided into a total of twenty four shares. Half of these, that is, twelve shares will go to the daughter, three shares to the wife against her 1/8, four shares to the mother against her 1/6, and the residue of five shares will go the uncle in the capacity of his being ` asbat, the nearest male agnate. Rulings 1. If there are no ` asbat (agnatic heirs) the residue of the property following the distribution of shares to ashabul-furud, is also given to them. In the terminology of علم الفرایٔض ` Ilmul-fara'id, this is known as the principle of Radd or Return since the residue 'returns' to them in proportion to their shares. However, the husband or the wife is not entitled to this 'return' and they are not given any more than their specified shares. If there is no one from ashabul-furud and no one from ` asbat either, the inheritance goes to Dhawil-Arliam (maternal kinsmen). There is a large list of Dhawil-Arham which includes maternal grand-sons and granddaughters, offspring of sisters, paternal aunts, maternal uncles, and aunts. Since the subject has lot more details which cannot be taken up in the present context, it is hoped that comments already offered will be sufficient.