Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "It is not permissible for any Muslim who has something to will to stay for two nights without having his last will and testament written and kept ready with him."

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَا حَقُّ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ لَهُ شَىْءٌ يُوصِي فِيهِ يَبِيتُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ إِلاَّ وَوَصِيَّتُهُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ عِنْدَهُ

That his father said: In the year of the last Hajj of the Prophet ﷺ I became seriously ill and the Prophet ﷺ used to visit me inquiring about my health. I told him, "I am reduced to this state because of illness and I am wealthy and have no inheritors except a daughter. Should I give two-thirds of my property in charity?" He said, "No." I asked, "Half?" He said, "No." then he added, "One-third, and even one-third is much. You'd better leave your inheritors wealthy rather than leaving them poor, begging others. You will get a reward for whatever you spend for Allah's sake, even for what you put in your wife's mouth."

I said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Will I be left alone after my companions have gone?" He said, "If you are left behind, whatever good deeds you will do will upgrade you and raise you high. And perhaps you will have a long life so that some people will be benefited by you while others will be harmed by you. O Allah! Complete the hijrah (emigration) of my companions and do not cause them to turn on their heels."

Saʿd b. Khawlah ˹another companion˺ was unfortunate and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ lamented his death as he died in Makkah." ˹but Saʿd b. Abū Waqqas lived long after the Prophet ﷺ.˺

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَعُودُنِي عَامَ حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ مِنْ وَجَعٍ اشْتَدَّ بِي فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي قَدْ بَلَغَ بِي مِنَ الْوَجَعِ وَأَنَا ذُو مَالٍ وَلاَ يَرِثُنِي إِلاَّ ابْنَةٌ، أَفَأَتَصَدَّقُ بِثُلُثَىْ مَالِي؟ قَالَ: «لاَ»، فَقُلْتُ: بِالشَّطْرِ؟ فَقَالَ: «لاَ»، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «الثُّلُثُ، وَالثُّلْثُ كَبِيرٌ۔» أَوْ «كَثِيرٌ، إِنَّكَ أَنْ تَذَرَ وَرَثَتَكَ أَغْنِيَاءَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ تَذَرَهُمْ عَالَةً يَتَكَفَّفُونَ النَّاسَ، وَإِنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ أُجِرْتَ بِهَا حَتَّى مَا تَجْعَلُ فِي فِي امْرَأَتِكَ»،

فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أُخَلَّفُ بَعْدَ أَصْحَابِي؟ قَالَ: «إِنَّكَ لَنْ تُخَلَّفَ، فَتَعْمَلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا إِلاَّ ازْدَدْتَ بِهِ دَرَجَةً وَرِفْعَةً، ثُمَّ لَعَلَّكَ أَنْ تُخَلَّفَ حَتَّى يَنْتَفِعَ بِكَ أَقْوَامٌ وَيُضَرَّ بِكَ آخَرُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ أَمْضِ لأَصْحَابِي هِجْرَتَهُمْ وَلاَ تَرُدَّهُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ»، لَكِنِ الْبَائِسُ سَعْدُ ابْنُ خَوْلَةَ يَرْثِي لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ مَاتَ بِمَكَّةَ.

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."

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

Umar bin Khattab got some land in Khaibar and he went to the Prophet ﷺ to consult him about it saying, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ I got some land in Khaibar better than which I have never had, what do you suggest that I do with it?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "If you like you can give the land as endowment and give its fruits in charity." So ʿUmar gave it in charity as an endowment on the condition that would not be sold nor given to anybody as a present and not to be inherited, but its yield would be given in charity to the poor people, to the Kith and kin, for freeing slaves, for Allah's Cause, to the travelers and guests; and that there would be no harm if the guardian of the endowment ate from it according to his need with good intention, and fed others without storing it for the future."

أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ أَصَابَ أَرْضًا بِخَيْبَرَ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَسْتَأْمِرُهُ فِيهَا فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَصَبْتُ أَرْضًا بِخَيْبَرَ لَمْ أُصِبْ مَالاً قَطُّ أَنْفَسَ عِنْدِي مِنْهُ فَمَا تَأْمُرُ بِهِ قَالَ إِنْ شِئْتَ حَبَسْتَ أَصْلَهَا وَتَصَدَّقْتَ بِهَا قَالَ فَتَصَدَّقَ بِهَا عُمَرُ أَنَّهُ لاَ يُبَاعُ وَلاَ يُوهَبُ وَلاَ يُورَثُ وَتَصَدَّقَ بِهَا فِي الْفُقَرَاءِ وَفِي الْقُرْبَى وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ وَالضَّيْفِ لاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَى مَنْ وَلِيَهَا أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْهَا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيُطْعِمَ غَيْرَ مُتَمَوِّلٍ قَالَ فَحَدَّثْتُ بِهِ ابْنَ سِيرِينَ فَقَالَ غَيْرَ مُتَأَثِّلٍ مَالاً

I asked ʿAbdullah bin Abu ʿAufa "Did the Prophet ﷺ make a will?" He replied, "No," I asked him, "How is it then that the making of a will has been enjoined on people, (or that they are ordered to make a will)?" He replied, "The Prophet ﷺ bequeathed Allah's Book (i.e. Qur'an).

سَأَلْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ أَبِي أَوْفَى ؓ هَلْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَوْصَى فَقَالَ لاَ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ كُتِبَ عَلَى النَّاسِ الْوَصِيَّةُ أَوْ أُمِرُوا بِالْوَصِيَّةِ قَالَ أَوْصَى بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ

In the presence of ʿAisha some people mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ had appointed ʿAli by will as his successor. ʿAisha said, "When did he appoint him by will? Verily when he died he was resting against my chest (or said: in my lap) and he asked for a wash-basin and then collapsed while in that state, and I could not even perceive that he had died, so when did he appoint him by will?"

أَنَّ عَلِيًّا ؓ كَانَ وَصِيًّا فَقَالَتْ مَتَى أَوْصَى إِلَيْهِ وَقَدْ كُنْتُ مُسْنِدَتَهُ إِلَى صَدْرِي أَوْ قَالَتْ حَجْرِي فَدَعَا بِالطَّسْتِ فَلَقَدِ انْخَنَثَ فِي حَجْرِي فَمَا شَعَرْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ فَمَتَى أَوْصَى إِلَيْهِ

that he said, “Thursday, and what a Thursday ˹it was˺!” Then he wept until his tears soaked the pebbles. He then said: The pain of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ became severe on Thursday, so he said: "Bring me writing material so that I may write for you a document after which you will never go astray." They disputed, and disputing is not fitting in the presence of a prophet. They said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is feeling disoriented.” He said: "Leave me, for the state I am in is better than what you are calling me to."

At the time of his death, he gave instructions concerning three things: "Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, and grant delegations gifts in the manner that I used to grant them." I forgot the third.

أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَوْمُ الْخَمِيسِ، وَمَا يَوْمُ الْخَمِيسِ! ثُمَّ بَكَى حَتَّى خَضَبَ دَمْعُهُ الْحَصْبَاءَ، فَقَالَ: اشْتَدَّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَجَعُهُ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ، فَقَالَ: «ائْتُونِي بِكِتَابٍ أَكْتُبْ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا»، فَتَنَازَعُوا، وَلاَ يَنْبَغِي عِنْدَ نَبِيٍّ تَنَازُعٌ، فَقَالُوا: هَجَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، قَالَ: «دَعُونِي، فَالَّذِي أَنَا فِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا تَدْعُونِي إِلَيْهِ».

وَأَوْصَى عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلاَثٍ: «أَخْرِجُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ، وَأَجِيزُوا الْوَفْدَ بِنَحْوِ مَا كُنْتُ أُجِيزُهُمْ»، وَنَسِيتُ الثَّالِثَةَ

Ibn ʿAbbas said, "When Messenger of Allah ﷺ was on his deathbed and there were some men in the house, he said, 'Come near, I will write for you something after which you will not go astray.' Some of them ( i.e. his companions) said, 'Messenger of Allah ﷺ is seriously ill and you have the (Holy) Qur'an. Allah's Book is sufficient for us.' So the people in the house differed and started disputing. Some of them said, 'Give him writing material so that he may write for you something after which you will not go astray.' while the others said the other way round. So when their talk and differences increased, Allah's Apostle said, "Get up." Ibn ʿAbbas used to say, "No doubt, it was very unfortunate (a great disaster) that Messenger of Allah ﷺ was prevented from writing for them that writing because of their differences and noise."

لَمَّا حُضِرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَفِي الْبَيْتِ رِجَالٌ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ هَلُمُّوا أَكْتُبْ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لاَ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَدْ غَلَبَهُ الْوَجَعُ وَعِنْدَكُمُ الْقُرْآنُ حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ فَاخْتَلَفَ أَهْلُ الْبَيْتِ وَاخْتَصَمُوا فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ قَرِّبُوا يَكْتُبُ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لاَ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا أَكْثَرُوا اللَّغْوَ وَالاِخْتِلاَفَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُومُوا قَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ الرَّزِيَّةَ كُلَّ الرَّزِيَّةِ مَا حَالَ بَيْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابَ لاِخْتِلاَفِهِمْ وَلَغَطِهِمْ