Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (11/183)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

His statement, “If he bequeaths a share of his estate, he receives one-sixth,” means that if he bequeaths to someone a share of his estate, that person receives one-sixth, whether the estate is small or large. One-sixth is first taken from the estate, and the remainder is then divided among the heirs. For example, a man bequeaths a share of his estate to someone and leaves behind a son and a daughter. We give that person one-sixth, and divide the remainder between the son and daughter, with the male receiving the share of two females. This has been narrated from some of the Companions (1), so the jurists adopted it on the basis of transmitted authority, not legal reasoning.

Some have said that it is based on legal reasoning, because in Arabic the word “share” means one-sixth. Yet there is some reservation about this, for “share” implies the smallest share; thus, it would be like bequeathing an amount equal to the share of an heir without specifying which heir. This is one of the two views on the matter: if he bequeaths to someone a share of his estate, that person receives the equivalent of the share of the heir who receives the smallest portion. Accordingly, where there is a son and a daughter, he is given one-quarter, because that is the smallest share.

As for one-sixth, perhaps these were particular cases reported from some of the Companions and were therefore presumed to be based on transmitted authority. Since the matter has neither a textual proof from the Sacred Law nor an established legal definition, it should be referred back to the issue itself, and it should be said: the smallest share in it is what the beneficiary of the bequest is entitled to receive.

His statement, “If he bequeaths an unspecified thing, a portion, or a share, the heir gives him whatever he wishes,” means that if he says, “I bequeath to so-and-so something from my estate,” and then dies, the heir gives him whatever he wishes. The apparent meaning of their words is that he may give him whatever he wishes without restriction, even if it is unlikely to have been intended. Thus, if a person possesses ten million

(1) Such as Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, as reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah (11:171).

قوله: «وبسهم من ماله فله سدس» أي: إذا أوصى له بسهم من ماله فله السدس قَلَّ أو كثر، فيؤخذ السدس من التركة أولاً ثم يقسم الباقي على الورثة، مثال هذا: أوصى رجل بسهم من ماله لفلان، وله ابن وبنت، فنعطي فلاناً السدس، والباقي يقسم بين الابن والبنت، للذكر مثل حظ الأنثيين، وهذا مروي عن بعض الصحابة ﵃ (١) ـ فأخذ به الفقهاء توقيفاً لا تعليلاً. وقال بعضهم: إنه تعليل؛ لأن السهم في اللغة العربية السدس، ولكن في القلب شيء من هذا؛ لأن السهم يقتضي أن يكون أقل سهم، فيكون كما لو أوصى بنصيب وارثٍ ولم يُبين، وهذا أحد القولين في المسألة، أنه إذا أوصى له بسهم من ماله فله مثل ما لأقل الورثة نصيباً، وعلى هذا فمع ابن وبنت يعطى الربع؛ لأن هذا أقل سهم. وأما السدس فلعلها قضايا أعيان وردت عن بعض الصحابة ﵃ فَظُنَّ أنها توقيف، وما دامت المسألة ليس فيها نص شرعي ولا حقيقة شرعية، فينبغي أن يُرجع في ذلك إلى المسألة ويقال: أدنى سهم فيها هو الواجب للموصى له. قوله: «وبشيء أو جزء أو حظ أعطاه الوارث ما شاء» أي: إذا قال: أوصيت لفلان بشيء من مالي ثم هلك، فيعطيه الوارث ما شاء، وظاهر كلامهم ﵏ أنه يعطيه ما شاء مطلقاً، حتى ولو كان بعيداً أن يكون مراداً، فلو كان إنسان عنده عشرة ملايين

(١) كابن مسعود ﵁ كما عند ابن أبي شيبة (١١/ ١٧١).