Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (31/331)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

He replied:

He should provide for the orphan in a reasonable manner. If mixing the orphan’s food with his own is better for the orphan, he should do so, as Allah Most High says:

“They ask you about orphans. Say, ‘Setting their affairs right is best. If you mix your affairs with theirs, they are your brothers.’ Allah knows those who cause corruption from those who set things right.”

When Allah threatened those who consume an orphan’s property with severe punishment, the Companions would keep the orphan’s food separate from their own, and it would spoil. They therefore asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this, and Allah revealed this verse.

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

Concerning orphans under the care of an executor who have a maternal half-brother: the executor sold their brother’s share to them and stated [that] (1) the property was in ruins. The orphans were not informed of the sale whereby the executor sold their brother’s share to them. Is this sale permissible or not?

He replied:

An executor may not sell real estate except to meet a need or secure a clear, overriding benefit. If he states that he sold it because of its dilapidation, he may not purchase it for the other orphan, since this would harm the other orphan if he is telling the truth, and harm the first if he is lying.

(1) The text in square brackets is absent from the printed edition, and I could not find it in Siyānat Majmū‘ al-fatāwā min al-saqt wa-l-tashīf (Safeguarding Majmū‘ al-fatāwā against Omissions and Textual Corruption). Usāma ibn al-Zahrā’ — coordinator of the book for al-Maktaba al-Shāmila.

فَأَجَابَ: يُنْفِقُ عَلَى الْيَتِيمِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ. وَإِذَا كَانَ خَلْطُ طَعَامِهِ بِطَعَامِ الرَّجُلِ أَصْلَحَ لِلْيَتِيمِ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْيَتَامَى قُلْ إصْلَاحٌ لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ وَإِنْ تُخَالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ الْمُصْلِحِ} فَإِنَّ الصَّحَابَةَ كَانُوا لَمَّا تَوَعَّدَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَأْكُلُ مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ بِالْعَذَابِ الْعَظِيمِ يُمَيِّزُونَ طَعَامَ الْيَتِيمِ عَنْ طَعَامِهِمْ فَيَفْسُدُ فَسَأَلُوا عَنْ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ. وَسُئِلَ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -: عَنْ أَيْتَامٍ تَحْتَ يَدِ وَصِيٍّ وَلَهُمْ أَخٌ مِنْ أُمٍّ؛ وَقَدْ بَاعَ الْوَصِيُّ حِصَّتَهُ عَلَى إخْوَتِهِ؛ وَذَكَرَ [أَنَّ] (١) الْمِلْكَ كَانَ وَاقِعًا؛ وَلَمْ تُعْلَمْ الْأَيْتَامُ بِبَيْعِهِ لِمَا بَاعَهُ الْوَصِيُّ مِنْهُ إلَيْهِمْ: فَهَلْ يَجُوزُ الْبَيْعُ أَمْ لَا؟ فَأَجَابَ: بَيْعُ الْعَقَارِ لَيْسَ لِلْوَصِيِّ أَنْ يَفْعَلَهُ إلَّا لِحَاجَةِ أَوْ مَصْلَحَةٍ رَاجِحَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ؛ وَإِذَا ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ بَاعَهُ للاستهدام لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ لِلْيَتِيمِ الْآخَرِ؛ لِأَنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ ضَرَرًا لِلْيَتِيمِ الْآخَرِ إنْ كَانَ صَادِقًا؛ وَضَرَرًا لِلْأَوَّلِ إنْ كَانَ كَاذِبًا.

(١) ما بين معقوفتين غير موجود في المطبوع، ولم أقف عليه في كتاب صيانة مجموع الفتاوى من السقط والتصحيف أسامة بن الزهراء - منسق الكتاب للموسوعة الشاملة