Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:2076Wakīʿ > Hishām from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Wadidt

“I would like the people to reduce (the will) from one third to one quarter, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'One third is a lot.'” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 2711)   

أحمد:٢٠٧٦حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ

أَنَّ النَّاسَ غَضُّوا مِنَ الثُّلُثِ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ فِي الْوَصِيَّةِ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ الثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Ṭabarānī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá
bukhari:2743Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Law Ghaḍ al-Nās > al-Rubʿ Lʾan

I recommend that people reduce the proportion of what they bequeath by will to the fourth (of the whole legacy), for Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "One-third, yet even one third is too much."  

البخاري:٢٧٤٣حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ قَالَ

لَوْ غَضَّ النَّاسُ إِلَى الرُّبْعِ لأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «الثُّلُثُ، وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ۔» أَوْ «كَبِيرٌ۔»  

muslim:1629[Chain 1] Ibrāhīm b. Mūsá al-Rāzī > ʿĪsá / Ibn Yūnus [Chain 2] Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah And ʾAbū Kurayb > Wakīʿ [Chain 3] Abū Kurayb > Ibn Numayr > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Law > al-Nās Ghaḍḍūā from al-Thuluth > al-Rubuʿ

(I wish) if people would reduce from third to fourth (part for making a will of their property), for Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: So far as the third (part) is concerned it is quite substantial. In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Waki (the words are)" large" or" much".  

مسلم:١٦٢٩حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الرَّازِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى يَعْنِي ابْنَ يُونُسَ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ لَوْ

أَنَّ النَّاسَ غَضُّوا مِنَ الثُّلُثِ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ الثُّلُثُ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ وَفِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ كَبِيرٌ أَوْ كَثِيرٌ  

nasai:3634Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Law Ghaḍ al-Nās > al-Rubuʿ

"If the people were to reduce (their bequests) to one-quarter (of their wealth, that would be better), because the Messenger of Allah said: 'One-third, and one-third is much or large.'"  

النسائي:٣٦٣٤أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ لَوْ غَضَّ النَّاسُ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ

لأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ الثُّلُثَ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ  

ibnmajah:2711ʿAlī b. Muḥammad > Wakīʿ > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Wadidt > al-Nās Ghaḍḍūā from al-Thuluth > al-Rubuʿ

“I would like the people to reduce (the will) from one third to one quarter, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'One third is a lot.'”  

ابن ماجة:٢٧١١حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ

أَنَّ النَّاسَ غَضُّوا مِنَ الثُّلُثِ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ لأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ الثُّلُثُ كَبِيرٌ أَوْ كَثِيرٌ  

ahmad:2034Ibn Numayr > Hishām > Abīhiʿan Ibn ʿAbbās > Law

“I would like the people to reduce (the will) from one third to one quarter, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'One third is a lot.'” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 2711)   

أحمد:٢٠٣٤حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ لَوْ

أَنَّ النَّاسَ غَضُّوا مِنَ الثُّلُثِ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ الثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ  

tabarani:10719[Chain 1] Bishr b. Mūsá > al-Ḥumaydī [Chain 2] Muḥammad b. Hishām al-Mustamlī > ʿAlī b. al-Madīnī > Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah [Chain 3] ʿUbayd b. Ghannām > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > Wakīʿ > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Wadidt Law > al-Nās ʿAḍḍūā from al-Thuluth > al-Rubuʿ

[Machine] "That people have bitten from one-third to one-fourth," the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "One-third and one-third is either a lot or big."  

الطبراني:١٠٧١٩حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ مُوسَى ثنا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ ح وَثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ الْمُسْتَمْلِي ثنا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمَدِينِيِّ ثنا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ثنا وَكِيعٌ كِلَاهُمَا عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ لَوْ

أَنَّ النَّاسَ عَضُّوا مِنَ الثُّلُثِ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «الثُّلُثُ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ»  

nasai-kubra:6428Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > Ibn ʿAbbās > Law Ghaḍ al-Nās > al-Rubuʿ

"If the people were to reduce (their bequests) to one-quarter (of their wealth, that would be better), because the Messenger of Allah said: 'One-third, and one-third is much or large.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 3634)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٦٤٢٨أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ لَوْ غَضَّ النَّاسُ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ؛

لَأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «الثُّلُثُ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ»