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ADMINISTRATIONOFESTATEANDSUCCESSIONUNDERISLAMIC

LAW.

By

Hon.KadiZakariyaIdakwojiMuhammad

Hon.GrandKadi,KogiState.

Introduction

PraisebetoAllah,theLordoftheworlds,whobyHisgraceand

volition created us humans and showed us in the Quran how to

divide inheritance and may His peace and blessings be on our

ProphetMuhammad,Hisfamilyandcompanions(Sahaba)(Ameen).

Iverymuchappreciatethissingularhonourdonetomebythe

AdministratoroftheNationalJudicialInstituteandtheManagement

forinvitingmetoserveasaresourcepersonattheRefreshercourse

for judicialOfficersonCurrentTrends inLawandAdministrationof

Justice,takingplacebetween14th–18thMarch,2016,enablingmeto

write and present a paper titled: “Administration of Estate and

Succession Under Islamic Law”, to form part of the conference

theme which is “Promoting Judicial Performance Through

InnovationsandReforms”

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This topicofdiscussion, “EstateandSuccession” isoneof the

most important and significant sources of knowledge in Islam. This

waswhytheQuranlaidmuchemphasisonitsimpactonmuslimlife.

InalmosteveryverseoftheQuranrevealedtoProphetMuhammad

(PBUH), majority of the verses were pregnant as they still needed

interpretationsfromthepartofitsrecipient,Muhammad(PBUH),for

example,institutionssuchasSalat,Zakah,Sawm,Hajjetcwithmany

severalverses,spreadallovertheQur’an,stillneededtheprophet’s

explanationstofullypracticalisethem.

As for Estate and Succession, the Qur’an leaves no stone

unturned. It gives detail information as to how to administer or

distribute theEstateofadeceasedMuslimamongsthis successors.

As for the allotees, it provides detailed share each deserves to get

from the existing estate.On the part of the Prophet he is the role

model for all muslims as stated in Qur’an 33:21 where Allah says:

“You have indeed in the apostle of Allah, a beautiful pattern of

conductforanyonewhosehopeisinAllahandthefinaldayandwho

engages much in the praise of Allah”. He laid more emphasis in

teaching this obligatory knowledge to his companions until they

acquired the knowledge and became experts in it. The prophet

(PBUH)notingthatthisimportantknowledgemightbeneglectedby

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hisfollowers,warnedthatallmuslimsmustseekitatallcostsothat

there would be no scarcity in the number of preservers of its

knowledgeamongstIslamicscholars.

Today,thisprophecybythemessengerofGodhasmanifested

in every facet of muslim life as majority of muslims in today’s

generationlackadequateknowledgeofIlmul–al–Faraid(obligatory

knowledge) as prescribed in the Qur’an. Lack of this knowledge in

our times has made women and children victims of either greedy

relationsorignoranceprevailingtodayhasmadesomelegalsharers

lose their rights and theactivitiesof ignorantEstateadministrators

most often leads to misguidance of inheritors. That is why the

prophet said, “Learn the knowledge related to inheritance (Ilmul

Faraid)andteachittoothersasthisconstituteshalfofknowledge”1.

On the whole, I thank the administrator of NJI and the

convenersofthisconference/workshopforchoosingthistopic.With

humility therefore, I reiterate that whatever flaws you find in this

writeup,IownthemandmayAllahforgive(Ameen).

The topic as stated above is “Administration of Estate and

SuccessionunderIslamicLaw”.Foronetotreatthistopic,weneed

1. SunanIbnMajah

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to first understand some keywords. These are Islamic Law, Estate

and Succession. I will (In Sha Allah) endeavour to examine these

termsinseriatim.

WhatisIslamicLaworSharia?:ShariaisanArabicwordwhich,

literally,meansapath,awayorroadthatleadsonetoanywatering

place.2

Legally speaking, Sharia could be defined as “The immutable

law of the creator for the guidance of humanity”. It could also be

definedasadivinelawordainedfortheguidanceofbothmundane

and spiritual lifeof themuslimUmmah.As it is ofdivineorigin, its

guidance encompasses the past, the present and the future life of

mankind. Inotherwords Islamisareligion(Deen)andawayof life

foralltruemuslimswhoadheretoitsteachings.

Historically, Islamic Law or Sharia originated right from the

period of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Its laws started right from

therewith thepiece-meal revelationof theHolyQuran to Prophet

Muhammad (SAW), who on His own part stood as link and

interpreter of the dictates of the Quran especially where the

revelation needed explanation for the understanding of its

2.AminatBasharAlabasu(Mrs).“ShariaLegalSystemVis-à-visHumanRightinNigeria”,NJILawJournal,2010

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adherents. This took place for about 23 years (610 – 632 AD).

Throughthisdivineroleofmessenger-shipbyProphetMuhammad,

all His actions, sayings and salient approvalwere preserved by the

Sahabaand/ortheirfollowers.This isregardedasSunnahorHadith

ofProphetMuhammad.Thiscultureofpreservationandpracticeof

SunnahcontinueduntilthedeathofProphetMuhammad.

Under the rightly guided Caliphs, that is, Caliph Abubakar as

Sideeq 632 AD – 634 AD, Umar bn al-Khatab 634 AD – 646 AD,

UthmanbinAffan646AD–656ADandAlibnAbiTalib656AD–661

AD,theQuranassourceofLawofIslamwiththeSunnahofProphet

MuhammedservedasIslamiclegalsources.UndertheSahaba,with

theexpansionofIslamtovariouslandsandpeoples,thetwosources

servedasreferralpointsofguidancetomuslims.

When issues not definitely decided upon by both primary

sources occurred, the Sahaba resorted to Ijtihad, e.g using their

extensive knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet

Muhammad (SAW) to solve thenew issues thatwerenot explicitly

decided upon. Any solution arrived at through this Ijtihad was

termedConsensusof theSahabaoropinionof the Juristofanage,

whichhencebecameasourceoflawinIslamicLaworSharia.Other

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sources of law in Islam followed these three and they emanated

fromtheIjtihadoflatergenerationsthatfollowedthecompanionsof

theProphet.Weavoiddetailsbecauseoftimefactorandrelevance

toourdiscussion.

The Jurists refer to these basic sources as “AL – Adillat al –

Qatiyyat”whichareabsolutely sureand irrefutablearguments.The

secondoneisreferredtoasAl–Adillatal–Ijtihadiyyahwhichmeans

argumentandproofderivedthroughexertionandthisisfromNass;

i.e.theHolyQuranandtheSunnah.Theseothersourcesarereferred

to by Jurist as subsidiary sources. They include Ijmah,which is the

consensus opinion of scholars/Jurists of the muslim Ummah in

particularagesandonagivenlaw.

Qiyas, a sourceof Islamic law,meansananalogical deduction

which literallymeans “to guess or to estimate” ameasurement by

comparison.Technically,itmeansextensionofaShariarulefroman

original case (Asl) toanewcase (Far’u) “by reasonsof aneffective

case(Illa)whichiscommontobothcases3.

Othersare Istihsan, removalofdiscrepancies in lawforpublic

good, Urf which means custom, Istislah consideration for public

3.AbdurRahmanDoi:“OutlineofIslamicjurisprudence”

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interest and Istihab, presumption of continuity in the natural

absenceoflawetc.

ConceptofInheritance

The conceptof inheritanceor succession in Islam is rooted in

the transient nature of man’s life. Man’s transient nature itself is

underscoredbytwoversesoftheholyQurannamely:

كل نفس ذآئقة الموت ثم إلینا ترجعون.

“Everysoulshalltastedeathandthenunto

usisthereturn”(Quran29:57)4

ا إلیھ راجعون وإن ا 2 الذین إذا أصابتھم مصیبة قالوا إن

“…TrulytoAllahwebelongandtruly,

tohimweshallreturn”(Quran2:156)5

The implication of the above verses is thatman’s sojourn on

earthisforalimitedperiod.Thencomestheappointedtimetodie.

Duringtheshortspanofhislife,whateverheacquiresintheworldis

leftbehindexcepthisgooddeedswhichwillgowithhim.

Thepropertyandthebelongingsthatheleavesbehindgoesto

his successors. Islam being a completeway of life, the HolyQuran

contains rules for the disposal of such property and belongings.

4.Quran29–575.Quran2:156

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Somespecificprovisions in theHolyQuranandSunnahof theHoly

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) forming the origin of the concept,

principlesandscienceofinheritanceareasFollow:

“Itisprescribedforyouwhendeathapproaches

anyofyou,ifheleaveswealth,thathemakes

abequesttoparentsandnextofkin,

accordingtoreasonablemanners.”

في أولا كر مثل حظ الأنثیین فإن كن نساء فوق اثنتین فلھن یوصیكم الله دكم للذ

ا دس مم ثلثا ما ترك وإن كانت واحدة فلھا النصف ولأبویھ لكل واحد منھما الس

لث فإن كان لھ إخوة ترك إن كان لھ ولد فإن ل ھ الث م یكن لھ ولد وورثھ أبواه فلأم

ھم ة یوصي بھا أو دین آباؤكم وأبناؤكم لا تدرون أی دس من بعد وصی ھ الس فلأم

كان علیما حكیماأقرب لكم نفعا فریضة من الله إن الله

“Allahcommandsyouasregardsyour

Children’s(inheritance);tothemale,aportion

equaltothatoftwofemales;if(thereare)

women(onlydaughters),twoormore,

theirshareistwothirdoftheinheritance;

ifonlyone(daughter),hershareisahalf.

Forparents,asixthshareoftheinheritance

toeach,ifthedeceasedleftchildren;

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ifnochildren,andtheparentsarethe(only)

heirs,themotherhasathird;ifthedeceased

leftbrothers(orsister),themotherhasa

sixth.(Thedistributioninallcasesis)after

thepaymentoflegacieshemayhave

bequeathedordebt.Youknownotwhich

ofthem,whetheryourparentsoryour

childrenarenearesttoyouinbenefit;

(thoseshare)areordainedbyAllah.And

AllahisEverAllKnower,Allwise”(Quran4:11)6

Hadith:

Narrated by Jabir: “The Prophet (PBUH) and Abubakar (RA)

cameonfoottopaymeavisit(duringmyillness)atBanuSalma

(dwellings).Theprophet (PBUH) foundmeunconscious, sohe

asked for water and performed the ablution from it and

sprinkledsomewateroverme. I cametomysensesandsaid:

“Allah’s Apostle, what do you orderme to do as regardsmy

wealth?”sothiswasrevealed:“Allahcommandsyouasregards

yourchildren’sinheritance”7.

6.Quran4:117.Sahihal–BukhariKitabulTafsir101

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TheIslamiclaworprincipleofinheritanceorsuccessionis

referredto inArabic languageasAL–MIRATH.Aboutthirty–

five verses of the Holy Quranmention or cover it directly or

indirectly.

DirectlytheQuransaysinSurah57:10

“Andwhatcauseshaveyouwhyyoushould

notspendinthecauseofAllah?FortoAllah

belongstheinheritanceoftheheavensandtheearth”

Indirectlyitsays;

ترجع الأمور ماوات وما في الأرض وإلى الله ما في الس و8

“ToAllahbelongsallthatisintheHeavenand

Earth.ToAllahdoallmattersreturn”(Quran3:109)8

While al – Mirath connotes the inheritance or succession in

general,Al–Faraidwhichisusedinreferencetothesubjectmatter

connotes a fixed share, that is the apportioned shares to the

individualheirs.

Inheritance or succession is the knowledge of rules of Islamic

lawwhichguideonwho inheritsandwhodoesnotaswellaswhat

sharesgototheheirsfromthepropertyofthedeceased(estate)9.

8.Quran3:1099.FiqhAl–SunnahVol.3Page498

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AccordingtoAl–Sabuni,(MA1993)Al–Mirathor‘Fard’isthe

legalterminologyconnotingtheprocessoftransferofownershipof

the estate of the deceased muslim to his surviving heirs in

accordancewiththeprincipleslaiddownbyIslamiclaw.10

WithregardstoIlmul–Faraid, i.eobligatoryknowledge,there

are some traditionsof theprophet inHadithbooks thatencourage

muslims to acquire knowledge of inheritance. He instructed that if

care was not taken by muslims on its acquisition they might risk

losses. He also reminded muslims that if muslims deal with Ilmul

Faraid in accordance with their own selfish interests and not in

consonancewiththedictatesofAllah,theymightalsoriskitsloss.

On the basis of this, we refer to the following Hadith of the

prophet(SAW)

1. AnHadith reportedbyAbdullah IbnAmrbinAL– ‘As (may

Allahbepleasedwithbothofthem)said:Learningisofthree

kinds and any learning beside these is only a beauty; a

perfect holy verse, an actual sunnah, and a just religious

obligations11.

2. In another Hadith reported by Ibn Mas’ud (May Allah be

pleased with him) He said the ProphetMuhammad (SAW)

10.AL–MawarithfiAL–ShariyyatiFiDhaulAL–KitabiWalSunna;2ndEditionDarulKalami,Beirut.)

11.NarratedbyIbnMajah

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said: “Learn your religious obligations (Ilmal Faraid) and

teachthemtootherpeople,forIammortal,andknowledge

willdisappearandseditionwillappeartosuchanextentthat

oncetwopeopledisagreeaboutanobligation,theywillnot

findanyonetodecidebetweenthem”12.

3. InanothertraditionreportedbyAbuHurairah,referredusto

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Abu Hurairah reported the

following, “Learn your religiousobligations and teach them

toothers.Theyarehalfoftheknowledge,andknowledgeis

forgettable. Besides, it is the first knowledge to disappear

frommyUmmah”13.

The above sayings of the prophet indicate that Estate and

Succession occupy a very high position in Islamic quest for

knowledge.

AdministrationofEstateandSuccession

BeforedoinganythingonanEstate in Islamandanythingthat

fallsundersuccession,thereasonableandmostwisememberofthe

deceasedrelationswhomaybeeligibletoinheritwouldnowponder

and ask themselves after condolences for anyWILL he or she (the

12.NarratedbyAhmed,AL–TirmidhiandAL–Hakim.13.NarratedbyIbnMajaandal–DarrQutniy.

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deceased)may have left behind to help guide in administering the

Estate. They may equally ask about any credit or debts. The next

thing shall be preparation for his/her burial expenses from his/her

legacy.Aftermeetingalltheabovelistedexpensesi.ethewill,ifany,

isremoved,debt,ifany,ispaidoffandcredit,ifany,isreturned,and

all the bequests are taken out, the remainder of the legacy now

becomestherightoftheinheritors.Onthebasisofthese,theQuran

insurah4:12says“….Afterpaymentoflegacyhe(orShe)mayhave

bequeathedordebt,sothatnolossiscaused(toanyone)”.

One of the most important principles of Administration of

Estate in Islam is that when all necessities aremet, the remaining

portion of the legacy shall now be distributed among the rightful

heirs. This must be seen to be done with assistance from some

muslimScholarssothateveryrightfulinheritorisgivenhis/herdue.

This isbecauseanyunnecessarydelay indistributionof inheritance

some-times leads to someproblems.For instance,deathof rightful

sharers may deprive him from enjoying his shares. In some other

cases it leads to litigation which may breed disharmony in a

supposedlypeacefulfamily.

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Besides these reasons, there may be greedy ones amongst

rightful sharers and even unqualified sharers who may use delay

tacticstodeprivetherightfulonestheirrights.Forthis,Allahinthe

Quran surah4:10 condemnsdeprivationof a rightful heirwhenHe

says,“verily,thosewhounjustlyeatupthepropertyoforphans,they

eatupbutfireintotheirbelliesandtheywillbeburntintheblazing

fire.”

Islam warned that the legacy left behind by the deceased

muslimmustnotbeusedinwaysunacceptabletoIslam.Itmustbe

preserved for the rightful heirs to inherit. In other words, when a

muslimdiestheownershipofhis/herlegacynowtransferstohis/her

inheritors. For Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a Hadith that

“whenthesonofAdamdies,hisgooddeedsceaseexceptforthree

types: Continuous charity, a righteous son who prays for him, or

knowledgeheleftbehindfromwhichpeoplegetgreatbenefit”

On the whole, the Quran (surah Al – Israi) 17:34 says “And

comenotneartheOrphan’spropertyexceptto improve it,untilhe

attainstheageoffullstrength”.

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SuccessiveDutiesBeforeAdministeringEstateinIslam

ThesuccessivedutiesbeforeadministeringEstateinIslaminclude:

1. Knowledge of the division of inheritance according to Islamic

Jurisprudence(IlmalFaraid)orobligatoryknowledge.

2. The subject matter i.e the Estate which is all that was left

behind by the deceasedmuslim includingmonetary cash and

property.

3. Purpose or objective: giving out of the Estate, the share to

everyrightfulsharer

4. Ruling: it is a collective responsibility (Fardun Kifaya) which

when it is once performed by a group of muslims, it now

becomesasunnahforothers.

Mirath–RelatedRights

Inthiscasefiverightsconcerninginheritanceshallbelistedandthey

arearrangedaccordingtotheirimportance.

1. The cost of thewater (to be used inwashing the corpse) the

shroud, the embalming, the fees of the washer, the grave

diggers etc. The costs of these expenses must be deducted

fromthemainEstatebeforedistribution.14

14.InheritanceinIslambyA.N.R.CBukhari,page8.

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2. Related rights to the inheritance itself. This includes debts

incurred by the deceased while alive. E.g failing to pay out

Zakah from his wealth if he is so qualified to offer it before

deathovertookhim; is thewealth left behindmortgaged and

/orinvolvedinbusinesspartnershipwithothers?Arethereany

financial problems? All these questions must be addressed

beforethelegacyisconsideredfordistribution.

3. Anotherconsideration is thedebtswhicharepartly relatedto

inheritance and partly related to the rights of Allah and are

considered to be a compulsory debt left behind by the

deceased.E.gpaymentofZakah, kaffarrah (expiations)orhajj

expenditureandthatis,ifhehadcapabilitytoperformhajjand

hedidnotdo it in his life timeand thedebtowed tohuman

beingse.ghavingloansfrombanks,humansetc.

4. Thelegacyorwill i.eonethirdor lessoftheEstate leftbythe

deceasedwhichmighthavebeenwilledtoanon-rightfulsharer

intheEstateand/orwhichmighthavebeenwilledfor“Charity

Projects” such as construction of mosque, provision of pipe

bornewaterforpoornoninheritingrelativesandfriendsetcall

these could fall in this fourth related rights. In Islam, an

inheritordoesnotshareinthewillofhisPrepositus.

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TheQuran in supporting thesedimensions in surah 4:13 – 14

says,

ورسولھ یدخلھ جنات تجري من تحتھا الأنھار ومن یطع الله تلك حدود الله

خالدین فیھا وذلك الفوز العظیم ورسولھ ویتعد حدوده یدخلھ . ومن یعص الله

ھ عذاب مھین نارا خالدا فیھا ول

“These are the limits (set by) Allah or ordainment as regards

lawofinheritance,andwhosoeverobeysAllahandHisMessenger

(Muhammad) (PBUH) will be admitted to gardens under which

rivers flow (inparadise) to abide there-in, and thatwill be great

success and whosoever disobey Allah and His messengers, and

transgressesHislimits,Hewillcasthiminthefire,toabidethere-

inandheshallhaveadisgracefultorment”

The above verse shows how the issue of willing to a legal

inheritoriscondemnedbyAllahandHismessenger.

5. Thefifthrelatedrightof inheritanceis inconsonancewiththe

dictates of Allah (SWT) where He said in surah 4:12 “After

paymentoflegacieshe(orShe)mayhavebequeathedordebts,

sothatnolossiscausedto(anyone)”.

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Accordingly after satisfying the fifth related right, the

Ashabul Faraidmust be the first to receive their legal shares.

Whatever remains as residue now goes to the paternal heirs

(Asaba). This view is supported by the statement from the

Prophet (PBUH)whereHesaid, “Give theFaraid (theshareof

the inheritance that is prescribed in theQuran) to thosewho

areentitledtoreceivethem,andwhateverremainsshouldgo

totheclosestmalerelativesofthedeceased”15.

See also Suratul Anfal 8:75where Allah said, “Blood relatives

are nearer to one another (regarding inheritance) in the decree

ordained by Allah”. It is only where there are no heirs at all that

Estatesgotothepublictreasury(BaitilMal)inIslam.

EstateandItsAdministration

Once amuslim dies, his proprietary interest byway of assets

and liabilities isreferredtoashisEstateor legacy.TheArabicword

for it is AL – Tarkah literallymeans “to leave behind”. It originates

from the Arabic root “Ta – Ra – Ka. Estate refers to all items of

property, movable or immovable left behind by a deceased

Muslim”.16

15.InheritanceinIslambyAbu16.AmbaliM.A.”ThePrincipleandPracticeofSuccessionunderIslamic

Law”.Page114ANJC,2003

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TheEstate leftbyadeceasedmuslim isnotalways thewhole

legacy that could qualify immediately for distribution by the

administrator.However,forthepurposeofsharingittotheheirs,it

isnotthegrossestatebutratherthenetestatethatqualifiesasthe

share-able estate. The net estate is determined by deducting or

removingthefollowingfromthegrossestate:

1. Deposits: this includes the return of deposits, pledges and

security in thecustodyof thedeceased.Theseshall firstofall

betakenoutofthegrossestate.Allsuchitemsunderhiscare

after ascertaining themmust be taken out of the estate and

returned to the original owners so as to know the actual

estate.17AlsocertainpropertywhichtheShariamakesunlawful

cannot form part of inheritance or deceased estate in Islam

even though it might be under his possession during his life

time. Such wealth could be those acquired through Haram

(forbidden) means e.g gambling, prostitution, bribery,

brigandage theft etc. Such properties are not regarded as

qualifiedestatesforIslamicinheritance.Ifanassetwaspledged

ormortgaged as security for a debt by the deceasedmuslim,

suchassetcannot formpartof theestatefor inheritance.Any

17.AmbaliM.A.Ibid

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Insurance/endowmentpolicy(s)whichencouragesRibaorsuch

otherunislamiccontract(s)cannotformpartofqualifiedestate

forinheritanceinIslam.18

In Islam, only the actual sum of premium paid by the

deceased constitutes part of the qualified estate. Right in

Business partnership enjoyed in business by the deceased

ceasesafterhisdeath.Hisinheritorscouldonlyinherithisshare

in the business enterprise. Any continuous profit, loss or gain

afterthedeathexcludestheinheritors.

2. Debt: even if all burial expenses are expended and removed

fromthegrossestate; thedeceased’s creditors if they remain

still have rights on the estate or legacy left behind by the

deceased. Whatarethesetypesofdebts? Debtcouldbethe

one which was confirmed by the deceased before some

membersofhisfamilyorthroughthetestimonyofwitnessesor

theoneknownbyallpeoplearoundthedeceased.Adebtcould

alsobeconfirmedbythedeceasedbeforehediedandevenif

there is no witness. If there is ascertained debt without any

doubt,itispaidofffromtheestate.Ifafterburialexpensesand

paymentoftheascertaineddebtthereisnotenoughlefttopay

hiscreditorsagain,theremainingestatecouldbegivenoutas

18.HajiyaSariyuBalogun–AbdulMajeed:“AGlimpseATINHERITANCE”.Pages157and158“IssuesAffectingMuslims”

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advanced payment to the creditors. The rest debt could be

waved or left till hereafter. In Islam it is not a must for the

would-beinheritorstopaythedebtincurredbytheirdeceased

relatives through their nose i.e through their hard earned

resources. If they decide to do so, it is Charity. From one

statement of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) he said, “The

Shaheed(Martyr)willbeforgivenallhissinsbutdebt”soifthe

inheritorsdothischarity,itshallliberatethedeceasedfromthe

burdenofdebtinthegraveandHereafter.Othercategoriesof

debts have been earlier mentioned e.g Zakat, Salat unsaid,

Sawm,Hajjetc.19

It should however be noted that in an ideal Islamic

Community,where theTarikacannotsettle thedebtsandthe

relationsareunabletosettlesuchdebts,theresponsibilitiesfor

settlingsuchdebtshifttoBaital–mal.

AdministratorofEstateinIslam.

Preferably, he should be a freemale, God fearingMuslim or

personwho is consciousof the fact thathe toowoulddieoneday

and leave behind estate and heirs. These qualities flow from the

contentsoftheHolyQuran:

19.“IssuesAffectingIslamandMuslims”AL–Maslaha:JournalsofLawandReligion.ByNAMLAS,UnilorinVol.4,page160–162,2007–2008

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ولیقولوا قوا الله ة ضعافا خافوا علیھم فلیت ی قولا سدیدا ولیخش الذین لو تركوا من خلفھم ذر

“Andletthose(ExecutorsandGuardians)havethesame

fearintheirmindsastheywouldhavefortheirown,

iftheyhaveleftweakoffspringbehind.Soletthemfear

Allahandspeakrightwords”.20

GeneralPrinciples

Thegeneralprinciplesofinheritanceareobtainedintheverseofthe

QuranSuarah4:7whereAllahsays“Fromwhatisleftbyparentand

those nearest relation, there is a share for men and a share for

women,whetherthepropertyissmallorlarge,adeterminedshare”

Fromtheaboveverse five legal implications/principlescould

bededuced,namely:

1. Theinheritancecoversbothmenandwomenunliketheperiod

beforetheadventofIslamwhenwomenwerenotqualifiedto

inherit fromtheestateoftheirdeceasedrelatives.Eventoday

in Nigeria, many traditions still exclude women from

inheritanceandareconsideredaspartoftheestatemeantfor

inheritance.

20.Quran4:9

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2. Thesecondimplicationisthat,nomatterhowlittleadeceased

person’s property might be, it must be distributed justly

amongsttheheirs.

3. The inheritance applies to all kinds of property, movable or

immovableoranyotherkinds.

4. Thequestionofinheritancearisesonlywhenthedeceasedhas

leftbehindanyproperty.

5. The nearer relation precludes the distant relation from the

inheritance.

Pre–ConditionsorRequirementsforInheritance.

TheArabictermforconditionthatmustexistforinheritanceto

takeeffectisknownas“Shurutal–Irth”.Theseconditionsare:

1. Death of the prepositus must be confirmed or a competent

courtmust havedeclaredhim/her to bemissing. (mafqood)21

Uponcredibleevidence thathe isabsent fromhisusualplace

ofabodeforalongtimeandnothinghasbeenheardfromhim.

2. The existence of Heirs whomust be proved to have survived

thedeceasednomatterhowshorttheintervalmightbe.

3. TheremustbeanEstate(property)tobeinherited.

21.QuranSurah4:176

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4. Thenexus(relationship)betweenthedeceasedmuslimandthe

heir apparent which qualifies the later to inherit the former

mustbeestablished22.Thisrelationshipusuallyisonaccountof

eitherNasab,ZawajorWala.

ImpedimentstoInheritance.

In Islam, thereare somegrounds thatdisqualify anotherwise

qualified heir from inheriting the estate of his / her deceased

relation.Theseare:

1. Differences or change in religion: Based on the Hadith which

saysthatamuslimcannotinheritanunbelieverandviceversa,

the four Sunni Schools are agreed that a muslim shall not

inherit from nonmuslim and vice versa. The Prophet (PBUH)

said,“Amuslimdoesnotinheritanon–muslim,neitherdoes

anon–musliminheritamuslim”.23

2. The second restriction or impediment is Slavery (male and

Female).Slavescannotinheritneithercantheybeinheritedin

Islam. The reason is because whatever the slaves possess

belongtotheirmasters.Oneoftheexceptionshoweveristhat,

afreedslavecanbeinheritedbyhisMasterandnovice–versa.

Providedthatthefreedslavehasnorelation(s).

22.As–SayyidUthmanAl-Malik(1402/1982):SirajusSalik,commentaryonAshahulMasalik,darulFikr,Lebanon,Vol.11page104;JatanV.

Mailafiaof(1998)1NWLR(535)P.693(SC)

23.FathuAl-Bari

25

3. Killing or Murder prevents the killer from inheriting the

murdered whether such action was pre-meditative or by

mistake, even if he is the legators son. This is supportedbya

sayingfromtheProphet(PBUH)wherehesaid,“Thekillerdoes

not inheritanything”24.Accordingtosomejurists,there isone

case called “Commonmistake”. It is a situationwhere twoor

morepeoplegotinvolvedinthecourseofalegator’sdeathby

mistake e.g motor accident where the driver may be an

inheritorof thedeceased. In this case the rateof thedriver’s

mistakeisdeductedfromhisshareanddistributedamongthe

restofthe inheritors.Afterthededuction,whatremains ishis

finalshare.25

4. StillBirth:astillbornchilddelivereddeadshallneither inherit

norbeinherited.

5. Lian: in accordance with the Quran Surah 24:6-7 both the

motherandthefatherofthechilddisownedbythe latershall

notinheritthemselves.Soalsoarethechildandthedisowning

father.

6. Bastard:Achildbornoutoflawfulmarriagecannotinheritthe

fatherbutonlythemother.

24.NarratedbyAbuDaud25.InheritanceinIslambyAbuIsam,P.33,Opsit.

26

Acknowledgedrelations

“Islamic law allows the acknowledgement of paternity and once it

occurssuchanacknowledgementofpaternitywillestablishfullrights

of inheritance as between father and the acknowledged son as

againstallotherrelations”.See“Verma”opcitinRuxton.

Thisisbecausethepersonsoacknowledgedhereisofbloodrelation.

SHARES,THEIRPROPORTIONSANDBENEFICIARIES.

Therearetwoclassesofsharesandsharersnamely;Faraidand

Asabaor“Far’D”andSI’B.

Inheritanceby“FarD”istheshareprescribedintheHolyQuran

while inheritanceby “SI’B” is the fact of distributingwhat remains,

after all prescribed shares are distributed, among the closestmale

relativesofthedeceased.26

Inheritance by “SI’B”means the inheritor is not among those

whowereprescribedintheQuran.

26.AbuIsam.Ibid,P.13

27

“FURUD/FARAID”HEIRS

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Give the Faraid to thosewho are

entitledtoreceivethem.Then,whateverremainsshouldbegivento

theclosestmalerelativeofthedeceased(FathuBari,12/11)27.

Faraidthereforeconnotesfixedpercentageofanestatedueto

individual heirs as done by Allah’s injunctions in the Holy Quran

Surah4verses11,12and174.

There are six sharers under this class namely; a half (1/2); a

fourth(1/4);aneight(1/8);athird(1/3);atwothird(2/3)andasixth

(1/6).

Thetablebelowshowstheabovefractionsthesharersandthe

basisoftheirallottedshares.

FRACTION SHARER(S) BASISOFSHARES

½ a. Husband

b. Onlydaughter

c. Onlyson’s

daughter.

Inabsenceofanychildbywife

Inabsenceofbrothertoagnatise

her.

No direct son of the deceased.

Nobrothertoagnatisethisson’s

27.FathuBari,12/11

28

d. Fullsister

e. Consanguinesister

daughter.

No child or grandchild of the

deceased to bar her. No other

sisterorbrotherof equal status.

No father or grandfather of the

deceased.

Sameasfullsisterabove.

¼ a. Husband

b. Wife/Wives

Inabsenceofchildorgrandchild.

Inabsenceofchildorgrandchild.

1/8 Wife/Wives In presence of child or

grandchild.

1/3 a. Mother

b. Pluralityofuterine

brothers and

sisters or

combination of

In absence of child and

grandchild. In absence of more

thanonebrotherorsister.

In absence of father, child and

provided they are not less than

two.

29

both.

2/3 a. Daughters

b. Son’sdaughters

c. Fullsisters

Inabsenceofbrothertoagnatise

them.

Inabsenceofdirectmalechildor

grandchild.

Inabsenceofbrothertoagnatise

them, absence of deceased’s

fathertobarthem.

1/6 a. Father

b. Mother

c. Son’sdaughter

d. Grandfather

e. Consanguinesister

f. Maternal

grandmother

g. Uterine brother/

sister

In presence of son, daughter orson’sson.

Presenceofsonorson’sson.

Presenceofdaughter.

Presenceofadaughter.

Presenceofgermanesister

Maternal/paternalgrandmother’sco-sharers.

In absence of son, truegrandfatherordaughter.

30

‘Furu’D’ people are ten:Husband,Wife (orwives),Mother, Father,

Grandfather, GrandMother(s), Daughters, the son’s daughters, full

sistersandthemother’schildren.

LetuslookathoweachFar’D’sshareisadministered:

i. Husband’s inheritance. The husband inherits from his wife’s

estateonehalf(1/2)ofherlegacyifhesurvivesherandshe

has no childrenof her ownnor children’s son(s)where the

latewifehaschildrenorsonsliving,thestakeofshareforthe

husband returns to ¼. This is whether they belong to the

surviving husband or previous one. See Quran 4:12, Allah

said,

ولكم نصف ما ترك أزواجكم إن لم یكن لھن ولد فإن كان لھن ولد فلكم

ا تركتم بع مم ة یوصین بھا أو دین ولھن الر ا تركن من بعد وصی بع مم الر

ة إن لم یكن لكم ولد ف ا تركتم من بعد وصی من مم إن كان لكم ولد فلھن الث

توصون بھا أو دین وإن كان رجل یورث كلالة أو امرأة ولھ أخ أو أخت

دس فإن كانوا أكثر من لث من فلكل واحد منھما الس ذلك فھم شركاء في الث

علیم حلیم والله ة من الله ة یوصى بھا أو دین غیر مضار وصی بعد وصی

"Inthatwhichyourwife’s leave,yourshare isa

halfiftheyhavenochild,butiftheyliveachild,

yougoaforthofthatwhichtheyleave"

31

The following can illustrate how a husband’s share in inheritance

couldbeadministeredinIslam.E.g:

a. Awomandied and left behind ahusbandand a father.Here

the husband gets half (1/2) of the propertywhile the father

takestherest.

b. A situation where the woman has a son with her husband

surviving her, the husband takes a fourth (1/4). The surviving

son is of secondary affinity so his existence reduces the

husbandsharefrom½to¼

ii. The wife’s inheritance: the wife’s share if she survives her

husbandis¼wherethehusbandleftnoissue(s)and1/8(one

eight)ofthelegacywhereherhusbandleftissues.TheQuran

insurah4:12

"…in that which you leave, their (your wives)share is a fourth if you live no child, but if youleave a child, they get an eight (1/8) of thatwhichyouleave…"

Thefollowingexamplescouldsufficetoshowhowawife’ssharein

inheritanceisadministered.Amandiedandleftbehindawifeand

hisfather.Thewifetakes¼ofthepropertybecausethereisnoHeir

or no son by the husband. But where a son(s) exist, her share

32

becomes1/8accordingtoQuranicallotment.Wherethewife’sare

more,theyco-share.

iii. Mother’sinheritance:mothersbeingaQuranicsharerinherita

third(1/3),asixth(1/6)and/ortheremainingthird(1/3).The

motherinherit1/3inthreeways:

a. Wherethedeceasedsonordaughterhasnoissue.

b. Where the deceased although having no issue, still does

nothavebrothersorsisters,shestillretainsher1/3share.

c. She inherit again the remaining1/3where the inheritors

besideherare:

i. Husband,motherandFather,and

ii. Wheretheinheritorsarewife,motherandfather.

No sharer excludes themother. The last discussion is basedon the

logic of Ummayriyyah based on the independent reasoning

propounded by Umar bn Al – Khattab (may Allah be pleased with

him).

Example:Awomandiedandleftbehindherhusband,amother,and

a father. The inheritance is divided into six Qirats (measures). First

the husband takes ½ of 6 = 3 then the mother takes 1/3 of the

33

remainingthreeQiratwhichis1/3whilethefathertakestheresttwo

Qirat.

iv. Father’s inheritance: A father being among the Heirs who

inherit by ‘Far’D’ can inherit by Fard, Si’B and by both at a

time.Wherethedeceasedsonordaughterhasmale issues,

his share is 1/6. That iswhy inQuran 4:11Allah says, “For

parents,1/6 shareof inheritance is toeach if thedeceased

left children”. Father inherit by Ta’sib,where the deceased

didnotleavebehindanysonorsonsfromsecondaryaffinity,

thenafterthemother’sshareof1/3istaken,theremainder

2/3 goes to the father. See the same Verse 11 of Surah 4

whereAllahsays,

كر مثل حظ الأنثیین فإن كن في أولادكم للذ نساء فوق اثنتین یوصیكم الله

فلھن ثلثا ما ترك وإن كانت واحدة فلھا النصف ولأبویھ لكل واحد منھما

ھ ا ترك إن كان لھ ولد فإن لم یكن لھ ولد وورثھ أبواه فلأم دس مم الس

ة یوصي بھا أو دین الث دس من بعد وصی ھ الس لث فإن كان لھ إخوة فلأم

كان إن الله ھم أقرب لكم نفعا فریضة من الله آباؤكم وأبناؤكم لا تدرون أی

علیما حكیما

“…ifhe leftnochildren,andhisparentsare theonlyheirs,

themotherhasathird.”

34

The following examples could illustrate it: Inheritance by Far’D, the

fatherinherit1/6whereasonofsecondaryaffinityorson’ssonexist.

When the son’s daughter survives her father and the father of this

deceased son also survived him, the surviving father inherit 1/6 by

Far’dwhileafterthedaughter’s½istaken,theremaindergoesback

tothefatheragainassharebySi’B.Thefatherremainsasharerinall

thesecases.Noexistenceofany issuecandeprivehimofanyofhis

shares,whenSi’Bshareisdeprived,hereturnstohis1/6.

v. Son’s inheritance: it shouldbenoted that“Son”asaprincipal

sharer is not mentioned directly in the list of heirs by the

Quran although son is themost important heir among the

childrenmentionedbytheQuran.HolyprophetMuhammad

(PBUH)said,“whateverisleftaftergivingawaytheshareto

themandatoryheirgoestotheson”.28

It shouldbe recollected that themandatory sharers include

the son, so where all have taken their shares, whatever

remains as residue is again given to the son. See Quran

Chapter4:12.

Others are the grandfathers and the grandmother’s

inheritancewiththefollowingexamples:

28.Bukhari,Kitab-ul-Faraid

35

vi. Grandfather:Hisposition issimilar tothatof fatheras longas

thereexistnonewhocandeprivehim, suchasexistenceof

the actual father of the deceased. Automatically the

deceasedfathershalldeprivethegrandfatheroftherightto

inherithisgrandson.

vii. Grandmother’s inheritance: To administer an estatewhere

the grandmother survives the grandson, she cannot inherit

where the mother is still alive. The grandmother is not

amongtheprescribedheirs.

Sons:

Whenasonisalonewithoutanycompetitorhetakesthewhole

estate butwhere parents of the father,wife, father or grandfather

survive,thesontakeswhatremainsafterthesemighthavehadtheir

shares.Ason’ssontakestheplaceofthedeceasedsonwhenthereis

no son.Where thereare sonsanddaughters, theywill share in the

ratio of two to one (2:1) i.e themale taking twowhile the female

takesone.

Daughters:

Whereonlythedaughtersurvives,shetakeshalfof theestate

butiftheyaremorethanonetheyshareinthe2/3(twothirdsofthe

36

estate). This is a very serious revolution under the prophet in the

sixth Century AD when womenfolk were liberated by this singular

divinelaw.Hereisthestoryanditrunsthus:

"The wife of Sa’ad bn al-Rabi came to theprophet with her two daughters and said, “O!Prophet these are the daughters of Sa’ad Al-Rabi.TheirfatherdiedaMartyr,inthebattleofUhud. But their uncle has taken Sa’ad’s estateand they cannot marry unless they haveproperty"

Itwasafterthisreport,theverseofinheritancewasrevealedto

ProphetMuhammad(PBUH).HeimmediatelysentforSa’adandtold

himaboutthedivinelaw.Hesaid,“GivethetwodaughtersofSa’ad

2/3of theestate,give theirmother1/8andkeep the remainder to

yourself”.Inthisrevelation,womenanddaughterswhowerepartof

theestatemeant for inheritance in thePre-IslamicArabiaandeven

todayinpartofNigeriantraditionsandcustomsbecameliberatedby

Islam.Theyweremade to co-sharewith theirmencounter-parts in

anygivenlegacy.

Granddaughter:

Intheabsenceofdaughter,theson’sdaughterandwherethey

aretwoormoretheyaretreatedasdaughters.Wherethereexist,a

37

daughterandason’sdaughter,thedaughtertakeshalfoftheestate

while1/6 is fortheson’sdaughter.Wheretheyaremorethanone,

they still co-share in the one sixth (1/6).Where the daughters are

twoormore,theson’sdaughtershallreceivenothingunlessthereis

with her a brother. It is only by this “Ta’asib” she can share the

residuarywithbothonthebasisof2:1ratio.

Sisters:

Asistergermanei.efullsistertake½ofanestatebutifbrothers

exist alongside with them, they share the property accordingly i.e

maletakingdoubleoffemale.Wherethesisterexistswithdaughter

ofthedeceased,thedaughterfirsttakes½or2/3iftheyaretwoor

morewhilethesisterstaketheresiduaryifany,i.eAsaba.29

Where thereexist, the father, thedaughteror son, the sisters

are excluded unless there is a male with consanguine sisters, it is

then they take the residue. Full sister usually eliminate the

consanguinesisterifthereisnomale(Asaba)toretainthem.

BrothersandSistersUterine:

Inthecaseofbrothersandsistersuterine,theshareis1/6and

wheretheyaremore,theshareis1/3,allofthemhavingequalshare.

29.JusticeYunusAbdallah.“SuccessionunderIslamicLaw:Issues,ControversiesandSolution”.Page136

38

However,wherethereexistafather,ason,ason’sson,thepaternal

grandfather of the deceased, the uterine brothers and sisters are

excluded.

BrotherGermaneandConsanguine.Whereeitherofthesetwoexists

alone, and no other relative the brother germane or the brother

consanguine takes thewhole estate butwhere the two co-exist or

more the germane brother excludes the consanguine, where there

are other sharers along with the brother, either consanguine or

germane,thebrotheralwayswaitfortheresidue.Theabovedecision

is derived from the ruling that preference is given to the full blood

overthehalfblood.

ASABAHOR“TA’SIB

Thisconnotesresiduaryheirs.Allah,(SWA)dividedinheritorsof

estate into two groups. The group of six whose shares in the

inheritanceare fixedwhichwehavealreadydiscussedandreferred

toas ‘Far’D”.Theothergroupsare those that theremainingestate

after the fixed shares is given (such heirs are known asASABAH).

This group inherits by Ta’sib. “Asabah” is the plural of Asibwhile

Ta’sib is a noun form from the verb Asaba, Ya’sib means “to

39

surroundandhold”.WhenwehearUsbaturRijalinArabic,itmeans

“a group of men who surround, help and protect each other”.30

AsabathereforeconnotesResiduaryheirsasithasitsrootinHadith

which says: “Apportion the specific shares of the estate to those

heirsentitledtothemandwhateverportionsremainthereofshould

betakenbyresiduarymaleheirs”.31

Asabaareofthreekinds:-

1. Asababy itself:Asabahbytheselfmeanseverymalewhohas

no female link between him and the deceased. If there are

fixed sharers, he takes the residue.Where there are no fixed

sharers,hetakesalltheestate.Ifthefixedsharerstakeallthe

inheritanceas theirshares, theAsabahhas lost.ByTa’sib, the

mostclosetothedeceasedshallbetheoneto inherit.Where

they aremany, the closest relative inherits. If they are equal

status in relation to the deceased, those who have the

strongesttietothedeceasedshallinherithim.Wheretheyare

equal inkinshipandstrengthoftietothedeceased,theynow

inherittogetherbyTa’sib.Exampleofthiscasecouldbe:Aman

left behind three children and four full brothers, the children

30.“InheritanceinIslam”byAbuIsam,OpsitPage2631.Al–MawarithFilShar’iatsIslamiyyah,page33

40

taking 2/3 of the propertywhile the residue goes to the four

fullbrotherswhichtheyaretoshareequally.

2. The second group is ‘Asabah’ by others: for example, any

femalewhose share is 1/6among the fixed sharers can share

theresiduebytheexistenceofAsibwhoismaleandwhoisof

equal rank in relationship with the deceased. The female e.g

son’s daughter, full sister or daughter, if there is a son, son’s

sonorabrotheramongstthem,thefemalescannot inheritby

Ta’sib with the existence of the male Asabah. This group

inheritsthereforeas‘Asabahbyothers’.

3. Asabahwithothers:Inthiscase,fixedsharerslikedaughteror

son’s daughter are in existence with other relatives like full

sistersorhalf-sisters.Whenthefixedsharerslikethedaughter

exist,shenowstandsinthepositionofAsabahtomakethefull

sisters or the half-sisters have share in the residue of the

estate.Inthiscase,itistheheirswhoselinkdoesnothaveany

female linkwith thedeceased thathavehelped theothers to

inheritbyTa’sib.

a. Evidence for ‘Asabah’ by the self can be found in surah

4:176,seealso4:11

41

b. Asabahbyothers.E.g,amandiedand leftbehindawife,a

son, and two daughters. The wife gets one eight (1/8)

because of the existence of an heir from the secondary

affinity, the rest goes to the son and daughters, with a

doubleportiontothemale.

c. Asabawith others. Example: Aman died and left behind a

mother, two daughters and a full sister. In this case, the

motheris1/6,thetwodaughters2/3andthefullsistertakes

theresidue.Theexistenceofthesisterhaveshownthatno

female link between her and her brother. So, she has an

AsabahshareswithotherAsabahs.

Issues:

Some social critics criticize the issue of making female

daughterstakinghalfofthatofmale.Somecallitinequalityamongst

genders.ManyIslamicScholarshavetriedtoexplainthestandpoint

ofIslam.

First of all, the society that Islamwishes to establish amongst

humans must be understood and the duties of individual human

speciesbeproperlyunderstood.Themale isgiventheresponsibility

to maintain the household. All necessities of the home are to be

42

providedbythemaleandeventhefemalememberofthefamilyisto

becateredforbythemale.

When the femalemember in an Islamic family is in her home

she ismaintained according to lawby themalemember andwhen

she marries, her responsibility transfers to her husband in her

matrimonialhome.Herfeeding,clothing,shelteretc.istobecatered

forbyhermalecounterpart.Inthiswise,sheisalwaysunderthecare

of males. If she returns from her husband’s place to her parent’s

home,themalerelationstheretakecareofherneeds.ThisisIslamic

wayoflife.

Unlikeourpresentdaylife,whereindividualtendencyoverrules

our lives and the tendency to involve women in the feeding of

household, provision for the needs of the children, sharing in

providing feeding for the familyetcare the issuesof theday. Islam

gavethefemaletherighttohaveaccesstoeducation,touseherskill,

tocontributeherquotatosocietalupliftmentbutnotthatshewillbe

victimized.Thatiswhythemanisgivenmoreresponsibility.Evenin

hisownshare,thefemalemustbemaintainedanditisnotarulethat

hershareintheestatecouldbeusedforupkeepofthefamily.

43

Ifwegobacktotheissueofinheritance,judgingbythecaseof

thewife of Sa’ad al-Rabi and the uncle of her daughters, one finds

thatwomenwere treated equally. Sa’ad’swife saw the heavy load

confronting her in themaintenance of her daughters who just lost

theirfatherandbreadwinnerofthefamily,theunclefollowingPre-

Islamic customdecided tousurpall theestateandAllah solved the

issue through the revelation. In this case, the two daughters share

was 2/3 of the estate while the mother’s share was 1/8 of the

propertyandtheremainderwenttotheuncle.Daughtershad16/24,

motherhad3/24while theunclehad5/24. In this calculation,only

the femaleshave themajority share.No irregularityhereand itdid

notprevent theuncle frombeing theguardianof thesechildren. In

some cases we see where both parents (father and mother) have

equalshareof1/6ofanestateeach.AlltheseshowhowIslamcared

forfemalerights.

Islamrulesthatbeforemarriage,themanmustpaydowryand

withoutdowry,nopropermarriage in Islam. Thisdowry is anasset

anditisanexclusivepropertyforthewoman.Itcouldbeusedasher

capital for future business. Unlike the woman, the man is saddled

withmanyobligationsand liabilitiestoshoulderforthegoodofthe

household.

44

In administering estate and succession in Islamic law the

followingissueslateremanated.Theseissuesincludethedoctrineof

AWL,thedoctrineofRaddandthecaseofMafquud(missingperson)

andthatoftheHermaphroditeandtheFoetusetc.

Doctrine of AWL: Awl means proportionate reduction. This

principle came into being when Khalifah Ali bn Abi Talib was

deliveringalecture(FridayKhutbah)inMedina.HewasonthePulpit

(Minbar) and a question by amuslimwomanwas asked and that’s

why thisnarrationwas referred tousuallyas theMinbariyyahcase.

She asked Sayyidinah Ali, “what is the wife’s share in inheritance

when her deceased husband left behind both parents and his two

daughters” Ali according to this narration promptly answered that

thewife’sshareinsteadof1/8nowbecomes1/9.

Undernormalcircumstances,thetwoparentsareQuranicheirs

so they have 1/6 each, with the 1/6 eachway, the estate remains

2/3.Twodaughtersshareshallbe2/3oftheremainderthusmaking

the whole estate exhausted. Now the “wife” who was among the

survivors isaQuranicheirwhocannotbeexcluded.To letherhave

hersharetheLCMdenominationof24hastobe increasedto27as

theprincipleofAWL.32

32.UstazYunusAbdullah.“SuccessionunderIslamicLaw,Issues,ControversiesandSolutions”.Page138–139

45

AWL isadevelopmentinIslamiclawmeanttodealwithissues

not covered by the primary sources of Islamic Law, e.g where the

estate of a wife is to be shared by the following successors, a

husbandandtwosistersundernormalcircumstances,thehusband,a

“FarD”sharer,shalltake½oftheestateashissharewhilethesisters

share, according to the Quran, is 2/3. What happens here is the

existenceofshortageandnotresidue.Whichevershareonewantsto

start with there shall be shortage in meeting the Quranic

prescription. This issue or challenge started under Caliph Abubakar

As-Sadeeq and with consultation with some of the Sahaba, they

arrived at the doctrine of AWL. This doctrine is the idea of

maintaining the original fractional share and increasing the

denominator.33

Ar–Radd:meaningproportionalreturnorredistributionofthe

surplusoftheestatewhereonlyQuranicsharersexistandtheytake

their allotted shares and the estate still remains, that residue

accordingtoMalikiSchoolshouldbereturnedtothepublictreasury

forpublicusewhileotherschoolsviewedthat itshouldbereturned

to the existing sharers if there are no agnatic or residue sharers

available instead of Baitil-Mal. This redistribution theory is only

33.“ThePrinciplesandPracticeofSuccessionunderIslamicLaw”byM.A.Ambali;page144–145

46

applicable to Zhawilarham (blood relatives of the deceasedperson)

asthewifeandhusbandarenotparticipating.

IssueofFoetus:Awomanmaybeunderpregnancywhenshe

losesherhusband.Asnooneknowswhatgender thechildmaybe

andwhetheritmaybeastill–born,itisassumedthatthechildwill

be born amale.When the estate is administeredupon, the Foetus

shareshallbeasharetoamaleheir.Ifperchance,thechildturnsto

be female the share of female is resorted to i.e half of it and the

otherhalfistakenbacktotheothersharersproportionately.34

However,themostfavouredviewoftheMalik’sSchoolonthisissue

isthatthedistributionoftheestatebesuspendedpendingthebirth

ofthechild.35

Issue of Al – Mafquud (Missing person): Where a person

disappears without being heard of for a long time and after many

inquiries no news about his where about, such a person could be

declaredmissingbythecourtoflaw.

Twoissuesmustbeestablishedbeforedeclaringanything.

1. Itmustbeestablishedthatthereisnoinformationwhat-so-

everabouthim.

34.UstazYunusAbdallah,Page140Ibid35Doi,A.I.;“Sharia,TheIslamicLaw”.www.asmislamicbooks.com;(ND)P.273.

47

2. Manyyearsmighthavepassedandstillno information.The

timeallowedbyMalikischooltoelapsebeforeonecouldbe

declared missing is seventy (70) years while other Sunni

schools unanimously agreed that the year should be

between ninety (90) years and one hundred and twenty

(120) years before such declaration. In Islamic law of

inheritance, it is after this that themissing person’s estate

could be shared amongst his inheritors.Where themissing

person (Al – Mafqud) is the inheritor, his share shall be

reservedtillheisfoundandifhecouldnomorebefound,his

owninheritorstakesoverhisshares.36

Hermaphrodite: A great sign of Allah’s power of creation is the

creation of human species known as ‘Hermaphrodite’. This sort of

human being is neither a complete male nor female. Nobody can

decidetowhichgenderthisspeciebelongsuntiltheageofpuberty.

When inheritance of an estate is being administered, the Jurist

viewedthatitshouldbecountedasmale.Todetectwhichgender,if

itisfoundthatitmenstruatesthroughthefemaleorganandthereis

femininegrowthofthebreast, it isthenconsideredasfemale. Ifon

theotherhand, itshowssignsofmanhoodi.e.havemoustacheand

changeinthevoice,thenitismale.Asfortheshareofinheritance,if

36.See:ColsonOpsitpage198

48

itturnstobefemale,halfoftheshareallottedshallnowbegivento

himwhile theotherhalf be sharedbetween theother inheritors in

accordancewiththeirdueshares.37

Conclusion:

In the foregoing pages and paragraphs of this discourse, we

haveattempted toexplain the conceptof administrationof estates

andsuccessionunderIslamicLaw.

We particularly tried to look at the primary sharers of

inheritancewhoarereferredtoasAshabal-Furud(prescribedheirs)

andhowtheirstatusandexistenceaffectinheritanceasaninstitution

in Islam. We also looked at the institution of Asabah (agnatised

inheritors in Islam)andhowthesegroupsaffect Islamic inheritance.

Otherissuespertainingtohomicidewhereapropositusgotkilledby

a legal inheritor (a successor), amissing inheritor and/or amissing

propositus, a case ofHermaphrodite or lian (a disowned child by a

father by way of legal oath), illegitimacy, slavery and master

propositus etc.All these listed are relevant categories of sharers of

theEstatethatmaybeleftbehindbytheirdeceasedlegator.

37:AbuIsam,Ibid

49

On the whole, what we refer to as estate and succession in

Islam call for serious studies by all stakeholders with a view to

understanding what constitute the content and context of

inheritance in Islam. This is because no family is exempted from

death and what prevails after. Therefore, without any clear

understanding of Sharia Law on administration of estate and

succession, an inheritor may be misguided to take a share either

belowormorethantheprescribedshareforhim/herbyAllahwhich

consequenceisverygraveinlinewithSurahNisa’iverse10

“Verilythosewhounjustlyeatupthepropertyof

orphans,theyeatupbutfireintotheirbelies,and

theywillbeburntintheblazingfire”.(Q4:10)

For this reason, the Almighty Allah decreed that estates left

behindbythedeceasedMuslimsbesharedforthebenefitofitslegal

inheritorsandintherightquantity.

Undertheissueoflegalexclusionfrominheritance,weseethat

in cases concerning differences in religion, since a non-muslimmay

notallowMuslimtosucceedhimasheirandviceversa,theProphet

(PBUH) was reported to have even said, “Neither does a Muslim

inheritanon-believernordoesanon-believerinheritamuslim”.This

50

is the Islamic rule on Estate and succession. Somenotable scholars

likeDr.Tabi’uhold that“Thebasisof rulesgoverning inheritance in

Islamiscenteredonreciprocity”.Thatistosaythatinlinewiththe

tenetsofIslamicpersonallaw,anon-muslimmaynotallowamuslim

heirtosucceedhim/herorviceversa.

Also,amuslimchildorsonwhoconvertedtoChristianityorany

otherreligionceases,accordingtoIslamiclawofinheritance,tobea

heir to the estate of a muslim father/mother who died a muslim.

Similarly,amuslimparentcannotlegallyinherithissonifthesondies

as a Christian. The only exception where each could succeed in

either’sestateisthroughwill.

In Islam,amuslim is free tomakeawill tonon-inheritor(s)of

his/herestateprovidedsuchawillislessornotmorethanonethird

(1/3)ofthetotalestateanditisalsonotatthedetriment(expense)

of the legal inheritors. That is why the Islamic law of succession

insists that after the primary obligations have been made, the

remaining estate (net-estate) however the portion is (small or big)

must be shared amongst its inheritors (successors). One very

importantmeasuretobetakenbytheAdministrator(s)istheproper

valuationoftheEstatebeforesharing.

51

Fromtheforegoingdiscussion,it isclearthatadministrationof

Estate and succession in Islamic law takes into cognisance issues

pertaining to the rights of women as heirs in the sharing of

inheritance in Islam. In comparison therefore with other existing

laws, both old and new, Islamic lawof inheritance has proved that

Estate and Succession as part of human life needs fullmeasures to

tackle.Therefore,theneedtoacquiretherequisiteknowledgewhich

is contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad

(P.B.U.H)cannotbeoveremphasized.

I thank this august and distinguished audience for exercising

patience to listen to me despite the voluminous pages of this

discourse. As I have said earlier,where I strayed, do please forgive

me.

WassalamalaykumwarRahmatullahiWabarakatuhu.

52

FORFURTHERREADING

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AminatBashirAlabasu(Mrs)(2010).“ShariaLegalSystemVis-à-visHuman

rights Norms: A Comparative Harmonious Analysis”. NJI LawJournal.

Al-Maslaha:“IssuesAffectingIslamandMuslims”Vol.4,2007–2008

JournalsofLawandReligion.NAMLAS,UniversityofIlorinChapter.

Doi, A. I.; “Sharia, The Islamic Law”. www.asmislamicbooks.com; (ND)P.273.

Fiqh Al – Sunnah Vol. 3 Page 498.

Hajiya Sariyu balogun – Abdul Majeed. “A Glimpse at Inheritance”.Oshogbo.

JusticeYunusAbdullah(2002).“SuccessionunderIslamicLaw,Issues,

ControversiesandSolutions”.ALectureNote.(Unpublished).

Muhammed, S. O. (2005). “Inheritance As It Affect You”. Being a

Ramadan Lecture Delivered Under the Auspices of AL – Habibiyyah Islamic Movement, Abuja.

Sahih al – Bukhari, Kitabul Tafsir 101.

Sunan Ibn Majah

53

Suleiman I. Nchi and Samaila A. Mohammed (1999). “Islamic Personal

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The Holy Qur’an.

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