more remote; the father; the grandfather—that is, the father’s father—however remote; the brother, whether full, paternal half-, or maternal half-brother; the son of a full or paternal half-brother, however remote; the full paternal uncle or paternal half-uncle, and their sons, however remote; the husband; and the emancipator. The female heirs are the daughter; the son’s daughter, however remote; the mother; the grandmother, whether the mother’s mother or the father’s mother; the sister, whether full, paternal half-, or maternal half-sister; the wife; and the female emancipator.

Six of these cannot be entirely excluded from inheritance by another heir: the father and mother, the son and daughter, and the husband and wife, because there is no intermediary between them and the deceased.

There are four impediments that bar inheritance: difference of religion, slavery, killing, and uncertainty as to the order of death.

By difference of religion, we mean that a disbeliever does not inherit from a Muslim, nor does a Muslim inherit from a disbeliever. This is due to what Abd al-Wahhab ibn Muhammad al-Kisa’i al-Khatib informed us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Ahmad al-Khallal told us; Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm told us; al-Rabi’ informed us; al-Shafi’i informed us; Ibn Uyaynah told us, from al-Zuhri, from Ali ibn Husayn, from Amr ibn Uthman, from Usamah ibn Zayd—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “A Muslim does not inherit from a disbeliever, nor does a disbeliever inherit from a Muslim.” (1)

As for disbelievers, they inherit from one another despite the differences among their religious communities, because disbelief in all its forms is one religious community. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And those who disbelieve are allies of one another.” (al-Anfal 8:73)

Some scholars held that differences among the religious communities of disbelief prevent inheritance, so that a Jew does not inherit from a Christian, nor does a Christian inherit from a Magian. This was the view of al-Zuhri, al-Awza’i, Ahmad, and Ishaq, based on the saying of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “The people of two distinct religions do not inherit from one another.” (2) Others interpreted this as referring to Islam and disbelief; for disbelief in all its forms is one religious community, and thus their inheriting from one another does not establish inheritance between the adherents of two distinct religions.

A slave neither inherits from anyone nor is inherited from by anyone, because he owns nothing. There is no difference in this regard between a slave owned outright, a slave granted freedom upon his master’s death, a contract slave, and a slave woman who has borne her master’s child.

Killing prevents inheritance, whether intentional or accidental, based on what was narrated from Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,