Property Distribution Inheritance
| Fatwa #1682 | Category: Inheritance | Country: Zambia | Date: 29th December 2025 |
| Fatwa #1682 | Date: 29th December 2025 |
| Category: Inheritance | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
I asked my uncle of how the property was handed to us.
He says the property was in my nani’s name and my late mum got it when my nana passed away.There was no development done on the land.Before my mum passsed away she told my uncle that should be given to the kids.Then there was an afidevit that my nani and late dad signed saying they dont want their share of the plot and then the title deed was done by my uncle on which all four of us names are their.When my dad decided and started sending money to build the house he never mention to me or my nani nor my uncle that he is building the house with equal share for everyone.He did not specifically give it to us kids after completion.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Our understanding of the query is as follows:
A woman received a property as inheritance from her late father. Upon her demise, she was survived by her mother, husband, one son, and three daughters.
It has been claimed that the woman gave the property to her children before demise as she said so to an uncle. It is also being claimed that the mother and husband said they do not want their share of the property/estate and instead it should be given to the children. There is supposed to be an affidavit supporting this. These are the facts at hand.
Firstly, in principle, the transfer of ownership from one individual to another via a gift requires clear proposal from the giftor and acceptance from the recipients followed by possession of the gifted item by the recipients.[1] If it can be proven that the woman actually did gift the property as required above, and possession was taken by the recipients thereafter, then the property shall belong to the children equally.
Based on the information provided, in our understanding, this has not been found. The fact that an alleged affidavit exists to show that the husband and mother refused their shares further proves that the property did indeed still belong to the woman upon her demise, that is why some of her heirs even ventured forth to refuse their share of it. Therefore, the property owned by the woman shall be divided amongst her heirs as per Islamic laws of inheritance.
Secondly, it has been stated that the mother and husband opted to refuse their share of inheritance. It must also be noted that it is the husband who paid for the house that was built.
In principle, an heir cannot refuse to collect his/her share of inheritance. Should they wish to relinquish it, they must first collect and receive it, thereafter, dispose of it by gifting it to whoever they desire.[2] Furthermore, the gifting of a shared property is not valid until each partner has separated and demarcated their percentage ownerships. Accordingly, the property in question shall be distributed amongst the woman’s heirs i.e. her mother, husband and children in proportion to their Islamic shares. In this instance, upon the demise of the husband, his share of the property shall be distributed to his heirs in their Islamic shares. And upon the demise of the mother, her share of the property shall be distributed amongst her heirs in their Islamic shares.
In the event it is proven that the husband and mother indeed received their share first, then separated it as per their percentages, and thereafter gave it to the other heirs, it shall be assumed that they gave their shares equally to the siblings (since they did not specify otherwise), as opposed to the ratio 2:1 (male:female).[3] In this instance, the siblings shall now own the property (as received from the inheritance of their late mother) in the ratio 2:1 and own the collective shares of their father and grandmother equally (1:1).
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
[1] https://daruliftaazambia.com/fatwa/?id=868
https://daruliftaazambia.com/fatwa/?id=809
فتاوى رحيمية ج10 ص 280
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) 4/ 444 [3]
وفي الخانية ولو وهب شيئا لأولاده في الصحة، وأراد تفضيل البعض على البعض روي عن أبي حنيفة لا بأس به إذا كان التفضيل لزيادة فضل في الدين وإن كانوا سواء يكره وروى المعلى عن أبي يوسف أنه لا بأس به إذا لم يقصد الإضرار وإلا سوى بينهم وعليه الفتوى وقال محمد: ويعطي للذكر ضعف الأنثى، وفي التتارخانية معزيا إلى تتمة الفتاوى قال: ذكر في الاستحسان في كتاب الوقف، وينبغي للرجل أن يعدل بين أولاده في العطايا والعدل في ذلك التسوية بينهم في قول أبي يوسف وقد أخذ أبو يوسف حكم وجوب التسوية من الحديث، وتبعه أعيان المجتهدين، وأوجبوا التسوية بينهم وقالوا يكون آثما في التخصيص وفي التفضيل، وليس عند المحققين من أهل المذهب فريضة شرعية في باب الوقف إلا هذه بموجب الحديث المذكور، والظاهر من حال المسلم اجتناب المكروه، فلا تنصرف الفريضة الشرعية في باب الوقف إلا إلى التسوية والعرف لا يعارض النص هذا خلاصة ما في هذه الرسالة، وذكر فيها أنه أفتى بذلك شيخ الإسلام محمد الحجازي الشافعي والشيخ سالم السنهوري المالكي والقاضي تاج الدين الحنفي وغيرهم اهـ
بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (6/ 127)
(وأما) كيفية العدل بينهم فقد قال أبو يوسف العدل في ذلك أن يسوي بينهم في العطية ولا يفضل الذكر على الأنثى وقال محمد العدل بينهم أن يعطيهم على سبيل الترتيب في المواريث للذكر مثل حظ الأنثيين كذا ذكر القاضي الاختلاف بينهما في شرح مختصر الطحاوي وذكر محمد في الموطإ ينبغي للرجل أن يسوي بين ولده في النحل ولا يفضل بعضهم على بعض.
وظاهر هذا يقتضي أن يكون قوله مع قول أبي يوسف وهو الصحيح لما روي أن بشيرا أبا النعمان أتى بالنعمان إلى رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فقال إني نحلت ابني هذا غلاما كان لي فقال له رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – كل ولدك نحلته مثل هذا فقال لا فقال النبي – عليه الصلاة والسلام – فأرجعه وهذا إشارة إلى العدل بين الأولاد في النحلة وهو التسوية بينهم ولأن في التسوية تأليف القلوب والتفضيل يورث الوحشة بينهم فكانت التسوية أولى ولو نحل بعضا وحرم بعضا جاز من طريق الحكم لأنه تصرف في خالص ملكه لا حق لأحد فيه إلا أنه لا يكون عدلا سواء كان المحروم فقيها تقيا أو جاهلا فاسقا على قول المتقدمين من مشايخنا وأما على قول المتأخرين منهم لا بأس أن يعطي المتأدبين والمتفقهين دون الفسقة الفجرة