—of the religion and to teach him its interpretation—said: “If people would only reduce their bequests from one-third to one-quarter, that would be better, for the Prophet ﷺ declared, ‘A third—and a third is much.’ Yet nowadays people insist, ‘Write a third, even two thirds,’ and the like; this is not something beloved to the Prophet ﷺ. Let him cut it down from one-third to one-quarter, and from one-quarter to one-fifth—that is superior. Abu Bakr, the most learned of this community and its first Caliph after the Prophet, bequeathed only one-fifth, saying, ‘I am content with what Allah has approved,’ for Allah says, ‘And know that whatever spoils you obtain—one fifth of it belongs to Allah and the Messenger’ (Q 8:41).

Despite this, those who set aside a third seldom do so in the prescribed manner: they earmark it for causes that are inferior while neglecting better ones. Sometimes a person even commits injustice in his will by bequeathing to the sons and leaving out the daughters, or by stipulating matters that will generate future strife among the legatees. If, instead, people directed their bequests to public benefit—such as building mosques, establishing schools, purchasing beneficial books, and the like—things that can be executed promptly, whose reward continues to flow, and that spare the heirs or legatees from dispute, it would be far better.