Zād al-Mustaqniʿ - Al-Hajjawi - (148)

A testamentary appointment¹ is valid only for a specific act of disposal that the testator himself controls—such as paying his debts, distributing the discretionary one-third of his estate, or managing the affairs of his young children. It is invalid with respect to matters outside his authority, for example a woman’s attempt to appoint someone to oversee the property of her minor children and the like.

A person who is appointed for a particular matter does not thereby become executor for anything else.

If, after the executor has made the distribution, a debt surfaces against the deceased that absorbs the whole estate, the executor is not held liable. And if the testator says, “Put my one-third wherever you wish,” it is unlawful for the executor or for his own child to take it.

When someone dies in a place where there is neither a judge nor an appointed executor, any Muslim present may take charge of the estate and act in whatever way is most beneficial at the time—selling property and so forth.²

(1) Manuscript J reads: “his bequest.” (2) All the available copies, as well as manuscript M and the commentary, read: “Whoever dies in a place where there is neither a judge nor an executor, any Muslim present may take charge of his estate and do whatever is most beneficial for it, such as selling items and the like.” See the introduction above for the discussion of this question.

ولا تصح وصية١ إلا في تصرف معلوم يملكه الموصي كقضاء دينه وتفرقة ثلثه والنظر لصغاره "ولا تصح بما لا يملكه الموصي كوصية المرأة بالنظر في حق أولادها الأصاغر ونحو ذلك". ومن وصي في شيء لم يصر وصيا في غيره. "وإن ظهر على الميت دين يستغرق بعد تفرقة الوصي لم يضمن" وإن قال: ضع ثلثي حيث شئت لم يحل له ولا لولده. "ومن مات بمكان لا حاكم به ولا وصي حاز بعض من حضره من المسلمين تركته وعمل الأصلح حينئذ فيها من بيع وغيره"٢.

١في "ج": وصيته. ٢هكذا في جميع النسخ وفي "م" والشرح: ومن مات بمكان لا حاكم فيه ولا وصي جاز لبعض من حضره من المسلمين تولي تركته وعمل الأصلح حينئذ فيها من بيع وغيره وانظر ما سبق في المقدمة حول هذه المسألة.