inheritance among relatives is apportioned in this manner: the male receives the share of two females.

The stronger of the first view is that need should be taken into consideration. Thus, if they are all alike in wealth or need, they should be given equal shares.

“And the orphans”: this is the plural of orphan, meaning one whose father died before he reached maturity, whether male or female. Is this restricted to those among them who are poor (1), or not?

The correct view is that it is not restricted to the poor. For if it were limited to poor orphans, there would be no benefit in coordinating the poor with them.

Thus, the correct view is that an orphan is entitled to one-fifth of the fifth from the war booty even if he is wealthy, in order to compensate for the loss he has suffered through the death of his father—particularly when the orphan has grown old enough to appreciate the value of having a father and what he has lost by his father’s death. Yet there is no doubt that the one who is more needy is more deserving.

“And the poor”: they are the indigent, and here the indigent are included under the term “the poor.”

“And the stranded traveler”: they are travelers whose journey has been interrupted. They are given what enables them to continue their journey, such as a ticket, provisions, or whatever else they need.

Is fay’ like zakah, in the sense that it is permissible to limit it to one of these categories, or must it be distributed among all of them?

The well-known position of the madhhab is that all of them must be included; that is, it should be distributed among all of them.