and then dies, the legatee takes possession of the garments he had bought in their place—unless the testator had named those very clothes item by item; in that event, once they have been sold the legatee receives nothing.

If the testator says, “One-third of my estate is for the cause of Allah, and to so-and-so one hundred dirhams,” and that third happens to be exactly one hundred, fifty go to the person named for the hundred and fifty go to the cause of Allah.

If his will reads, “To so-and-so ten, to so-and-so twenty, and to so-and-so an amount like his,” the one for whom “the like” was designated is given fifteen—half of the ten and half of the twenty—provided the one-third can accommodate it; otherwise all the beneficiaries share the third proportionally.

Should he declare, “To so-and-so ten, to so-and-so twenty, to so-and-so thirty, and to so-and-so an amount like his,” the holder of the “like” receives a sum equal to one-third of what was named for each of the preceding three, so long as the third can bear it; and so it continues. If the beneficiary of the “like” is mentioned after four persons, he receives a quarter of what was named for each of them, again provided the third is sufficient; otherwise the legatees divide the available third proportionally.

Mālik sees no difference between a man’s bequeathing “the share of his son,” “the like of his son’s share,” or “the like of one of his sons.”

Whoever bequeaths “the like of one of his sons’ shares” while he has two sons has in effect allotted one-half of his estate; the legatee receives it only with the heirs’ consent, otherwise he takes the statutory one-third. If there are three sons, the bequest (one-third) falls within the permissible limit and needs no approval; if four, the legatee takes one-fourth, and so on indefinitely.

If a man bequeaths “the like of his son’s share” while he has only one son, he has willed away his entire estate; the son may affirm that, but if he refuses the legatee receives only one-third.

When a testator bequeaths “the like of one of his heirs’ shares,” and those heirs include both males and females, the estate is first divided equally by head-count, males and females alike. The legatee is then given one such share, after which the remainder is redistributed among the heirs according to their prescribed portions.

Anyone who declines to accept what has been bequeathed to him forfeits his portion to the heirs; it does not revert to the other legatees mentioned alongside him in the will.