that his assets were lost through an evident cause. The hadith in question is that of Qabīsa ibn Mukhāriq al-Hilālī, which Muslim narrated in his Sahīh from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said:

“Begging is lawful only for three kinds of people: a man whose wealth has been swept away by a calamity, for whom begging becomes lawful until he obtains enough to sustain him—or, he said, enough to meet his needs—after which he must stop; a man afflicted by poverty, such that three men of sound judgment from his people stand up and say, ‘So-and-so has indeed been afflicted by poverty,’ for whom begging becomes lawful until he obtains enough to sustain him—or, he said, enough to meet his needs—after which he must stop; and a man who has assumed a financial liability, for whom begging becomes lawful until he obtains enough to discharge it, after which he must stop. Any begging beyond these cases, O Qabīsa, is unlawful gain, which the one who takes it consumes unlawfully.”

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

What is the ruling concerning someone who, while sound in mind and body, called witnesses to his declaration: “This person is my heir; no one else shall inherit from me”? Is this permissible, and who inherits after his death?

He replied:

This testimony is not accepted. Rather, if that person is an heir under Islamic law, he inherits from him whether the declarant wishes it or not. If he is not an heir under Islamic law, he does not inherit. No one may transgress Allah’s limits or alter Allah’s religion. Even if he did so unwillingly, he would be a flagrant sinner guilty of a major sin, as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Whoever deprives someone of an inheritance, Allah will deprive him of his inheritance in Paradise.”