25 – Book of the Missing Person (al-mafqūd)

If a man disappears, his whereabouts unknown and it is uncertain whether he is alive or dead, the qadi (judge) appoints a custodian to safeguard his property, administer it, recover any debts owed to him, and provide for his wife and children from his estate. No separation is pronounced between him and his wife.

When one hundred and twenty years have elapsed from the date of his birth, he is legally declared dead. His wife then observes the prescribed waiting period, and his estate is divided among the heirs who are alive at that moment. Anyone who died before that time takes no share of the inheritance, and the missing person himself does not inherit from anyone who passed away during his absence.