In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. May Allah bless our master Muhammad and his family.

Book of Bequests

Chapter: The circumstances in which a bequest is valid, the persons who may make one, and the beneficiaries who may receive it

It is impermissible for anyone to bequeath more than one-third of his estate, whether the bequest is made during illness or in good health. Yet it is recommended to give even less than a third, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A third—and even a third is much.” Ibn ʿAbbās and a number of other scholars preferred limiting the bequest to one-quarter. It is also related from Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq that he—