He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

A man had debts that exhausted all his property and still exceeded its value. During his final illness, he gave some of that property to a freed slave. Are the creditors entitled to recover it?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. Yes. If his debts exhaust all his property, he may not, during his final illness, make any gratuitous disposition in anyone’s favour—whether a gift, a preferential financial concession, or a release from debt—without the creditors’ consent. Indeed, the heirs have no entitlement until the debts have been paid. This is agreed upon by the Muslims, just as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ruled that debts take precedence over bequests. Gratuitous dispositions made during one’s final illness are treated as bequests, by agreement of the four imams.

He was also asked:

A man died, leaving two sons, a daughter, and a wife, and the estate was divided among them. The children also had a sister in the East. When she arrived to claim her inheritance, she found that both sons and the wife had died, and that what remained was in her sister’s possession. She brought a claim against her sister and demanded payment, but then feared that this would sever their relationship. She therefore had witnesses attest that she had released her sister from liability