equal to her customary dowry, while any amount beyond that is void.
Abu Yūsuf and Muḥammad said concerning one who has come of age but lacks sound judgment: his property is never to be handed over to him until prudence is plainly observed; he may not transact with it; and the obligatory zakat is to be paid from the spendthrift’s estate. Maintenance is likewise provided from that estate for his children, his wife, and any relatives whose support is obligatory upon him. If he wishes to perform the obligatory Hajj, he is not prevented, yet the judge does not put the expenses in his own hand; rather, he entrusts them to a reliable pilgrim who will spend on him during the journey. Should the man fall ill and make charitable bequests or other pious endowments, those bequests are valid up to one-third of his wealth.
A boy attains legal majority, according to Abu Ḥanīfa, through a nocturnal emission, by impregnating a woman, or by ejaculating after intercourse; failing any of these, he is deemed of age when he completes 18 lunar years. A girl attains majority by menstruation, a nocturnal emission, or pregnancy; failing these, she is deemed of age when she completes 17 lunar years. Abu Yūsuf and Muḥammad, however, held that once either a boy or a girl completes 15 years, they are legally of age.
When a boy or girl nears puberty and their majority is uncertain, and they both claim, “We have reached majority,” their statement is accepted and they are treated as adults in all legal rulings.
Abu Ḥanīfa further said: “No interdiction is imposed on account of debt.” Thus, if a man is burdened by debts and his creditors demand his imprisonment and interdiction, he is not to be interdicted; if he owns property, the judge does not administer it but detains him continuously until he sells it to settle his debts. If he possesses silver coins and his debt is in silver, the judge discharges the debt with them without his permission. If he owes silver but holds gold coins, the judge sells the gold to pay the silver debt.
Abu Yūsuf and Muḥammad maintained that when the creditors of an insolvent debtor request interdiction, the judge places him under interdiction, barring him from sale, disposal, and acknowledgements that could harm the creditors. Should he refuse to sell his assets, the judge sells them and distributes the proceeds among the creditors according to their shares. If the debtor makes an acknowledgement during the interdiction, it becomes binding after the debts have been paid.
Maintenance is provided for the bankrupt himself, for his wife, his minor children, and his dependent relatives out of his estate. If no property is known and his creditors ask that he be imprisoned while he insists, “I have no wealth,” the judge imprisons him for every debt incurred in exchange for property that once entered his possession—such as the price of a sale or the principal of a loan—and for every contractual debt, like a dowry or a guarantee. He is not imprisoned for liabilities outside these categories, such as compensation for usurped property or blood-money for injuries, unless evidence proves that he does have assets.
And when the judge imprisons him—