The same applies to everything else he acknowledges: his acknowledgement is like that of a person in good health. The author then made an exception, saying:

“Except for his acknowledgement of property in favour of an heir, which is not accepted.” If he acknowledges that property is owed to one of his heirs, it is not accepted—whether that heir inherits by fixed share, agnatic succession, or kinship; and whether the inheritance is due to marriage, blood relationship, or clientage. Thus, no acknowledgement of property in favour of any heir is accepted. For example, a person is suffering from a terminal illness and says, “Bear witness that I owe my son so-and-so ten thousand riyals.” If he has several sons, his acknowledgement in this case is not accepted, because he is liable to suspicion. Moreover, if we were to uphold this acknowledgement, it would constitute an infringement of the limits set by Allah in the distribution of inheritances, since this son would receive more than his brothers by virtue of what his father acknowledged.

The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that this applies even where there is a known basis for the claim. For instance, it may be known that this man bought a car from one of his heirs for ten thousand riyals, as established by its registration documents and witnesses. The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that, if he acknowledged owing this heir ten thousand riyals, his acknowledgement would not be accepted. However, this is open to reconsideration, because his acknowledgement here is based on a known cause, and the presumption is that payment has not been made. Thus, we say: this person has acknowledged something in favour of an heir and referred it to a known cause; and the presumption is that the price remains owed by him and has not been received. The correct view in this case is that it is valid, because the underlying reason for disallowing an acknowledgement in favour of an heir during a terminal illness is suspicion, and such suspicion is absent here.

The apparent meaning of his statement, “it is like his acknowledgement while in health,” is that if he acknowledges something in favour of a non-heir