and the correct view is that the grandmothers of the grandfather inherit, no matter how many generations removed through mothers, because they are connected to the deceased through an heir. Whoever is connected through an inheriting ascendant is an heir. According to this stronger view, there is only one condition for a grandmother to inherit: she must not be connected through a male who is himself preceded by a female. Thus, the mother of the mother of the mother of the mother of the mother of the mother of the father inherits.
The seventh and eighth are indicated by his statement, “the daughters and the son’s daughters.” Lineal daughters inherit, and so do the son’s daughters, whereas daughters of daughters do not inherit. The poet said:
Our sons are the sons of our sons, and our daughters’ sons
Are the sons of unrelated men.
Thus, the governing rule regarding the inheritance of descendants is that no one may be connected through a female, whether the person is male or female. Whoever is connected through a female has no inheritance. Hence, a daughter of a son of a son of a son of a son of a son of a son inherits, whereas a daughter of a daughter does not, because she is connected through a female.
The ninth is indicated by his statement, “the sisters of every category.” Are there, then, different categories? Yes. A sister may be connected through both parents or through one side only: either through the father or through the mother. A full sister is connected through both sides, because her mother is your mother and her father is your father. A paternal sister is connected through one side only, and a maternal sister is likewise connected through one side only. A paternal sister is one who shares a father with you but not a mother, while a maternal sister is one who shares a mother with you but not a father.
The tenth is indicated by his statement, “the maternal siblings,” meaning the males. As for maternal sisters, they are included in the author’s statement, “the sisters of every category.”
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, then began to explain the rules of inheritance in detail. The method followed by the jurists—namely, mentioning each heir and then explaining the various circumstances in which that person inherits—is better than