Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (11/300)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Chapter on the Inheritance of Those Who Die by Drowning

If two persons who could inherit from one another—such as two paternal half-brothers—die in a building collapse, by drowning, while away from home, or in a fire, and it is unknown which of them died first, with no disagreement concerning this, each inherits from the other only from the property he originally owned, excluding what he inherited from the other, so as to avoid circularity.

“Those who die by drowning” refers to people who all drowned and whose order of death is unknown. Are there comparable cases? Yes: if an airplane crashes and we do not know who died first; if a car overturns and we do not know who died first; or if a fire breaks out and we do not know who died first. Thus, what is meant here by those who drown is a group who all perish, while we do not know their circumstances: did they die at the same moment, or did one of them die before the others?

His statement, “If two persons who could inherit from one another—such as two paternal half-brothers—die in a building collapse, by drowning, while away from home, or in a fire”: a building collapse is clear, drowning is clear, and fire is clear. Being away from home refers to a case such as two men who travel together, after which news reaches us that they have died, but we do not know which of them died first. Their ruling is the same as that of people who die by drowning or fire when it is not known who among them died first.

His statement, “and it is unknown which of them died first, with no disagreement concerning this,” means that the heirs of each of them do not disagree.

His statement, “each inherits from the other only from the property he originally owned, excluding what he inherited from the other, so as to avoid circularity”: first, let us illustrate the case. A group of people board a ship; the ship sinks, and they all die. We do not know which of them died first. Do they inherit from one another, or not? The authoritative position of the school is that they do inherit from one another if the heirs do not disagree.

بَابُ مِيرَاثِ الغَرْقَى إِذَا مَاتَ مُتَوَارِثَانِ كَأَخَوَيْنِ لأَبٍ بِهَدْمٍ أَوْ غَرَقٍ أَوْ غُرْبَةٍ أَوْ نَارٍ، وَجُهِلَ السَّابِقُ بِالمَوْتِ وَلَمْ يَخْتَلِفُوا فِيهِ، وَرِثَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِن الآخَرِ مَنْ تِلادِ مَالِهِ دُونَ مَا وَرِثَهُ مِنْهُ؛ دَفْعَاً للدَّوْرِ. الغرقى يعني الذين غرقوا جميعاً ولم نعلم السابق منهم، فهل لهم نظير؟ نعم، لو سقطت طائرة ولم نعلم الميت الأول، لو انقلبت سيارة ولم نعلم الميت الأول، لو شب حريق ولم نعلم الميت الأول، فالمراد بالغرقى هنا جماعة هلكوا جميعاً ولم نعلم عن حالهم، هل ماتوا لحظة واحدة أو تقدم أحدهم؟ قوله: «إذا مات متوارثان كأخوين لأب بهدم أو غرق أو غربة أو نار» الهدم واضح، والغرق واضح، والنار واضحة، والغربة كرجلين سافرا جميعاً وأتانا خبر أنهما ماتا، ولم ندرِ أيهما الأول، فحكمهما حكم من ماتوا بغرق أو نار ولم يعلم الأول منهم. قوله: «وجُهل السابق بالموت ولم يختلفوا فيه» يعني ورثة كل واحد لم يختلفوا. قوله: «ورث كلُّ واحدٍ من الآخَر من تِلادِ ماله دون ما ورثه منه دفعاً للدور» أولاً نصور المسألة: هؤلاء جماعة ركبوا سفينة، غرقت السفينة وماتوا كلهم، ولا ندري أيهم الأول، فهل يجري التوارث بينهم أو لا؟ المذهب أنه يجري التوارث بينهم إذا لم يختلف الورثة.