and if a Magian marries his own mother and she bears him a daughter, after which the Magian dies, the estate is divided as follows: the mother receives one-sixth, the daughter one-half, and the mother takes nothing on the basis of the marriage itself.

Likewise, if he marries his daughter and she gives birth to a son and two daughters, the estate is apportioned among them so that the male receives the share of two females—four shares in all.

In Mālik’s view, and that of the scholars of the Ḥijāz, Magians inherit only through the single, most firmly established line of kinship, and no Magian may inherit through two concurrent lines. What is meant by “their established lines of kinship” is a case in which one line would be displaced by the other, such as when a woman is both a mother and a sister: the status of sister is cancelled in the presence of a son or a father, whereas the mother’s status is not. Consequently, she inherits solely as a mother, and so on in comparable cases.

Neither Magians nor any other members of the protected communities (ahl al-dhimma) inherit on the basis of a marriage to a prohibited relative, whether the prohibition is due to blood or to nursing; but they do inherit through the offspring produced by such a union.

As for a captive: so long as he is known to be alive, he retains his right to inherit from anyone who dies and from whom he is entitled to inherit, yet he himself is not inherited from until his death is established with certainty. He is deemed a Muslim unless and until apostasy is proven. If he apostasizes and dies, and it is unclear whether he did so under compulsion or willingly, none of his heirs may inherit from him until coercion is established; should coercion be proved, the Muslim members of his family inherit his estate.

Ibn Wahb relates from Mālik that if a captive becomes Christian and it is not known whether this was under duress or by choice, his property is held in suspense until he dies—at which point it becomes fayʾ (public revenue) for the Muslims—or until he regains his freedom as a Muslim, in which case he has the strongest claim to his wealth. Ibn Nāfiʿ transmitted the same ruling.

Mālik’s opinion varies regarding a person who apostasizes at the point of death. Ibn Wahb reports from him that the person’s property is placed in the public treasury unless he is suspected of having resorted to unbelief merely to deprive his heirs. Ibn al-Qāsim, Muṭarrif, and ʿAbd al-Malik, however, report from Mālik that no such suspicion is entertained. This latter position is likewise held by ʿAbd al-Malik and Aṣbagh.

When a Christian converts to Islam and then dies leaving minor sons, his estate is kept in abeyance: any son who embraces Islam before reaching puberty inherits from him, whereas one who does not has no share of the inheritance. Another opinion states