but their view is not revealed scripture. We say: where is the paternal connection? Your maternal half-siblings have absolutely no connection to your father. Therefore, we hold without doubt that the children of maternal half-siblings belong to the maternal line.
The filial line includes those descendants who trace their connection through a female: the children of daughters, the children of sons’ daughters, and so on. What is the benefit of knowing these lines? The jurists say: if they belong to one line, the one closer to the heir excludes the one more remote. But if they belong to two lines, we elevate each one through the chain until he or she reaches an inheriting relative. Thus, if there is a maternal grandfather and a daughter’s daughter’s daughter’s daughter’s daughter, do we say that the maternal grandfather, being closer to the deceased, excludes the remote descendant? No, because they belong to two different lines. When they belong to two lines, the person tracing his or her connection through another must be elevated until reaching an inheriting relative, no matter how remote the connection may be. But if they belong to one line, the closer excludes the more remote.
An example is: a daughter’s daughter’s daughter’s daughter, a daughter’s daughter, and a paternal cousin’s daughter. The latter does not affect them, because she belongs to another line. Does the daughter’s daughter in the second degree exclude the daughter’s daughter in the fourth degree? Yes, she excludes her, because she is closer to the deceased. The paternal cousin’s daughter inherits the remainder. Thus, the daughter’s daughter receives one-half, and the remainder goes to the paternal cousin’s daughter.
Therefore, the benefit of knowing the lines is that, when the distant kindred belong to one line, the closer excludes the more remote; whereas, when they belong to two lines, each is elevated through the chain until reaching an inheriting relative.
Thus, the son of the son of the son of the son of the son of a maternal uncle’s son belongs to the maternal line. Does he inherit together with the close daughter’s daughter? Yes, he inherits, because the lines are different.