824 – Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ʿUmar wrote to Abū ʿUbaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had declared, “Allah and His Messenger are the mawlā of the one who has no mawlā, and the maternal uncle inherits from the person who has no other heir.” It was recorded by Aḥmad and by the Four except Abū Dāwūd; al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan, and Ibn Ḥibbān authenticated it.⦗1⦘

Hadith grading
This hadith is sound (ḥasan).
• Al-Tirmidhī said, “It is ḥasan and it corroborates the preceding report.”
• Ibn Ḥajar states in al-Talkhīṣ that al-Bazzār said, “The best chain for this narration is that of Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl.” The report has several supporting lines of transmission, and Ibn Ḥibbān declared it authentic.

Key vocabulary
“Allah and His Messenger are the mawlā of the one who has no mawlā” – meaning they inherit from the person who leaves no heir; in practice, his estate is transferred to the Muslims’ Treasury (Bayt al-Māl).

Points derived from the two hadiths

1. The heirs are of three categories: the fixed-share beneficiaries, the agnates, and the uterine relatives, according to those who recognise the inheritance rights of the latter.
2. Uterine relatives inherit only when neither the fixed-share heirs nor the agnates exist; hence the two hadiths state, “The maternal uncle inherits from the one who has no heir.” Whenever no heirs