[Machine] That the grandfather is closer than the brothers, so our conversation continued until I gave him an example of some of his children's inheritance from each other, so he approached me angrily and said, "By Allah, if I had judged today between some of them in favor of some over others, I would have judged in favor of the grandfather and I would have thought that he deserved it, but perhaps they have rights, and perhaps I don't disappoint any of them, and I will surely decide between them if Allah wills it, according to what I see on that day." I considered it and sought forgiveness from Allah that this is the last conversation I had with Amir al-Mu'minin Umar about the matter of the grandfather and the brothers. Then I thought that he used to divide after them. Then Amir al-Mu'minin Uthman ibn Affan made a decision between the grandfather and the brothers similar to what I wrote to you in this document, and I thought that I understood that from what I witnessed of their judgments, and others added more to it than Ibn Abi al-Zinad and his father from Kharijah ibn Zaid from his father that when Umar ibn Al-Khattab consulted them about the inheritance of the grandfather and the brothers, Zaid said, and my opinion at that time was that the brothers are more entitled to their brother's inheritance than the grandfather, and Umar ibn Al-Khattab sees that the grandfather is more entitled to his grandson's inheritance than his brothers. Zaid said, so I gave Umar an example of that, and I said to him, "If a tree branched out from its root, and then a branch branched out from that branch, that branch connects the two branches without the root and nourishes them. Don't you see, O Amir al-Mu'minin, that one of the branches is closer to its brother than it is to the root?" Zaid said, I gave him an example of the root of the tree as an example of the grandfather, and I gave an example of the branch that branched out from the root as an example of the father, and I gave an example of the two branches that branched out from the branch as an example of the brothers.  

أَنَّ الْجَدَّ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ مِنَ الْإِخْوَةِ فَطَالَ تَحَاوُرُنَا فِيهِ حَتَّى ضَرَبْتُ لَهُ بَعْضَ بَنِيهِ مَثَلًا بِمِيرَاثِ بَعْضِهِمْ دُونَ بَعْضٍ فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ كَالْمُغْتَاظِ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ لَوْ أَنِّي قَضَيْتُ الْيَوْمَ لِبَعْضِهِمْ دُونَ بَعْضٍ لَقَضَيْتُهُ لِلْجَدِّ وَلَرَأَيْتُ أَنَّهُ أَوْلَى بِهِ وَلَكِنْ لَعَلَّهُمْ أَنْ يَكُونُوا ذَوِي حَقٍّ وَلَعَلِّي لَا أُخَيِّبُ سَهْمَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَسَوْفَ أَقْضِي بَيْنَهُمْ إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ تَعَالَى نَحْوَ الَّذِي أَرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ فَحَسِبْتُهُ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آخِرِ كَلَامٍ حَاوَرْتُ فِيهِ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عُمَرَ فِي شَأْنِ الْجَدِّ وَالْإِخْوَةِ ثُمَّ حَسِبْتُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْسِمُ بَعْدَهُمْ ثُمَّ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ ؓ بَيْنَ الْجَدِّ وَالْإِخْوَةِ نَحْوَ الَّذِي كَتَبْتُ بِهِ إِلَيْكَ فِي هَذِهِ الصَّحِيفَةِ وَحَسِبْتُ أَنِّي قَدْ وَعَيْتُ ذَلِكَ فِيمَا حَضَرْتُ مِنْ قَضَائِهِمَا وَزَادَ فِيهِ غَيْرُهُ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ خَارِجَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ لَمَّا اسْتَشَارَهُمْ فِي مِيرَاثِ الْجَدِّ وَالْإِخْوَةِ قَالَ زَيْدٌ وَكَانَ رَأْيِي يَوْمَئِذٍ أَنَّ الْإِخْوَةَ هُمْ أَوْلَى بِمِيرَاثِ أَخِيهِمْ مِنَ الْجَدِّ وَعُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ يَرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ أَنَّ الْجَدَّ أَوْلَى بِمِيرَاثِ ابْنِ ابْنِهِ مِنْ إِخْوَتِهِ قَالَ زَيْدٌ فَضَرَبْتُ لِعُمَرَ ؓ فِي ذَلِكَ مَثَلًا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَوْ أَنَّ شَجَرَةً تَشَعَّبَ مِنْ أَصْلِهَا غُصْنٌ ثُمَّ تَشَعَّبَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْغُصْنِ خُوطَانِ ذَلِكَ الْغُصْنُ يَجْمَعُ ذَيْنِكَ الْخُوطَيْنِ دُونَ الْأَصْلِ وَيَغْذُوهُمَا أَلَا تَرَى يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّ أَحَدَ الْخُوطَيْنِ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى أَخِيهِ مِنْهُ إِلَى الْأَصْلِ؟ قَالَ زَيْدٌ أَضْرِبُ لَهُ أَصْلَ الشَّجَرَةِ مَثَلًا لِلْجَدِّ وَأَضْرِبُ الْغُصْنَ الَّذِي تَشَعَّبَ مِنَ الْأَصْلِ مَثَلًا لِلْأَبِ وَأَضْرِبُ الْخُوطَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ تَشَعَّبَا مِنَ الْغُصْنِ مَثَلًا لِلْإِخْوَةِ