including Imam Aḥmad — is that every uterine relative is assigned the rank of the person through whom he is linked, whether that intermediary is near or remote, and that physical proximity to the deceased is not taken into account.

Al-Muntahā and its commentary state: “They inherit by being placed in the position of the relative through whom they are connected. Each of them is lowered, one degree after another, to the rank of that intermediary among the Qur’anic heirs until one reaches someone who actually inherits; that person’s share is then taken, and the portion of every fixed-share or agnatic heir is transferred to the uterine relative(s) who trace through him.

“If several uterine relatives trace to a single heir, by fixed share or agnation, and they all stand in the same degree to him with no one having priority — such as his children or the various kinds of siblings who have no intermediary between them and him — his portion is given to them exactly as they would have inherited from him, but males and females are treated alike, for they inherit solely by the womb-relationship, and therefore their males and females are equal, just like those who share the same mother.

“If, however, their degrees to that intermediary differ, the intermediary is treated as though he himself had died, and his share is divided among those connected through him in proportion to their degrees to him. For example, with three maternal aunts of different links and three paternal aunts of different links, the one-third that would have gone to the mother is divided among the maternal aunts in five equal parts, and the two-thirds that would have gone to the father, by way of agnation, is likewise divided among the paternal aunts in five parts.

“When a group of uterine relatives trace through several fixed-share or agnatic heirs, you treat those intermediaries as if they were alive, apportion the estate among them, and then allocate the share of each heir — whether by fixed share or agnation — to the uterine relative(s) who trace through him, for they are his heirs. If some heirs eliminate others, that elimination is enforced: a more distant relative is excluded by the one who is closer, as in the case of a granddaughter vis-à-vis a great-great-great-granddaughter — the estate belongs to the former. Likewise, between a maternal aunt and the mother’s paternal grandmother, the estate goes to the maternal aunt, because she and the mother meet in the first degree, unlike the grandmother.

“The directions of uterine kinship are three: through the father, through the mother, and through one’s descendants. The top of the genealogical tree consists of the two parents, for the deceased issued from them; the bottom consists of his children, for they issued from him. Every relative is connected through one of these three lines.”

Al-Muwaffaq said in al-Mughnī: “They make up eleven categories.”