Chapter on Gifts (Hibah), ʿUmrā, and Ruqbā
Introduction
- Hibah (gift): The word is pronounced with kasrah on the hāʾ and a light b sound. One says, “I granted him something wahban”—with the hāʾ either quiescent or vocalized—and also hibah; the thing given is called a mawhūb (the bestowed property).
Linguistically, it derives from the verb “to blow,” as when the wind passes by.
Legally, it is: “the transfer of ownership, by someone who has legal capacity, of a known—or of an undetermined but deliverable—property to another during his lifetime, without anything in return.”
Al-Nawawī said: “Hibah (gift), hadiyyah (present), and voluntary charity are closely related forms of righteousness, all of which may be summed up as: ‘conveying ownership of tangible property without compensation.’ ”
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ʿUmrā: Pronounced with ḍammah on the ʿayn. It is a type of gift the name of which is taken from ʿumr (lifespan), because it is granted for the lifetime of the beneficiary.
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Ruqbā: Pronounced with ḍammah on the rāʾ, derived from murāqabah (watchfulness). Al-Nihāyah explains it thus: a man says to another, “I have given you this house; if you die before me it reverts to me, but if I die before you it becomes yours.” Each of the two therefore watches for the other’s death.
Ruqbā is likewise a form of gift, but the donor’s right of repossession is contingent upon the donee’s death. Hence he is “watching” for that event, which is the root of the term’s derivation.
Categories of Hibah
1 – The unrestricted (absolute) gift: one that is offered solely as an act of cordiality.