His words, “even if,” indicate a point of disagreement. The author means that one inherits from the other even if they differ in religion.

The second opinion is that there is no mutual inheritance between them, even though the right of clientage is established, because of the difference in religion. This is the stronger view: clientage is established, but there is no inheritance between them. The evidence is the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “A Muslim does not inherit from a disbeliever, nor does a disbeliever inherit from a Muslim.” (1) Thus, the author, may Allah have mercy on him, by his words, “even if they differ in religion,” means that one inherits even where they differ in religion. We do not agree with him on this, for we have clear and explicit evidence. But do we agree with him that clientage is established? Yes, for clientage is established, and it is a bond like that of kinship.

His words, “Women do not inherit by clientage except from one whom they themselves emancipated, or from one emancipated by someone whom they emancipated,” mean that a woman inherits by clientage only from one whom she emancipated, or from one emancipated by someone whom she emancipated. She does not inherit by clientage through lineage.

For example, a son and a daughter purchase their father, and he consequently becomes free through them. The father then purchases a slave and emancipates him. They inherit from their father by kinship, because kinship takes precedence. Thus, for example, the daughter may have paid ten thousand toward the price of her father, while the son paid five thousand—that is, she paid twice as much. If the father dies, how do they inherit from him? The male receives the share of two females. If she says, “I contributed more than my brother toward purchasing my father,” we say: kinship takes precedence over clientage.

As for the slave emancipated by the father, if he dies, who inherits from him? The son inherits from him, because the daughter’s and the son’s inheritance from their father in the first case is inheritance by kinship, not inheritance by clientage. Consequently, the son inherits from him, while the daughter does not, because women—