19. Inheritance
١٩۔ كتاب الفرائض
'Aishah, mother of believers (ra), intended to buy a slave-girl to set her free. Her people said: We shall sell her to you on one condition that we shall inherit from her. 'Aishah mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said: That should not prevent you, for the right of inheritance belongs to the one who has set a person free.
أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ ؓ أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَشْتَرِيَ جَارِيَةً تَعْتِقُهَا فَقَالَ أَهْلُهَا نَبِيعُكِهَا عَلَى أَنَّ وَلاَءَهَا لَنَا فَذَكَرَتْ عَائِشَةُ ذَاكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لاَ يَمْنَعُكِ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّ الْوَلاَءَ لِمَنْ أَعْتَقَ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: The right of inheritance belongs to only to the one who paid the price (of the slave) and patronised him by doing an act of gratitude.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْوَلاَءُ لِمَنْ أَعْطَى الثَّمَنَ وَوَلِيَ النِّعْمَةَ
On his father's authority, said that his grandfather reported: Rabab ibn Hudhayfah married a woman and three sons were born to him from her. Their mother then died. They inherited her houses and had the right of inheritance of her freed slaves. Amr ibn al-'As was the agnate of her sons. He sent them to Syria where they died. Amr ibn al-'As then came. A freed slave of hers died and left some property. Her brothers disputed with him and brought the case to Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: Whatever property a son or a father receives as an heir will go to his agnates, whoever they may be. He then wrote a document for him, witnessed by AbdurRahman ibn Awf, Zayd ibn Thabit and one other person. When AbdulMalik became caliph, they presented the case to Hisham ibn Isma'il or Isma'il ibn Hisham (the narrator is doubtful). He sent them to 'Abd al-Malik who said: This is the decision which I have already seen. The narrator said: So he ('Abd al-Malik) made the decision on the basis of the document of Umar ibn al-Khattab, and that is still with us till this moment.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَحْرَزَ الْوَلَدُ أَوِ الْوَالِدُ فَهُوَ لِعَصَبَتِهِ مَنْ كَانَ قَالَ فَكَتَبَ لَهُ كِتَابًا فِيهِ شَهَادَةُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ وَزَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ وَرَجُلٍ آخَرَ فَلَمَّا اسْتُخْلِفَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ اخْتَصَمُوا إِلَى هِشَامِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ أَوْ إِلَى إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ هِشَامٍ فَرَفَعَهُمْ إِلَى عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ فَقَالَ هَذَا مِنَ الْقَضَاءِ الَّذِي مَا كُنْتُ أَرَاهُ قَالَ فَقَضَى لَنَا بِكِتَابِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فَنَحْنُ فِيهِ إِلَى السَّاعَةِ