This makes it clear that when a person dies his family must immediately settle whatever debts he left behind. They have no right to postpone payment, because the wealth they inherit from him is not truly theirs until the liabilities have been cleared. In other words, the heirs possess no entitlement to any part of the estate until the debt is discharged. For that reason Allah Most High says in the verses on inheritance: “after any bequest he may have made, or debt—without causing harm” (Qur’an 4:12). Thus the heirs are not permitted to take a single dirham from the estate until they have paid what the deceased owed. They must act without delay, unless the debt is already set for a later date. In that situation the creditors may be asked to grant respite; if they refuse, the heirs must pay at once—unless they secure the debt with collateral or a guarantor.

Unfortunately, people have grown careless about repaying the debts of the deceased. A man may die owing large sums, yet the heirs treat the estate as their playground and keep putting the matter off. He could owe hundreds of thousands while leaving behind many properties, and the heirs say, “Let us not sell the real estate now; we will wait until prices rise and then sell.” This is forbidden. They are obliged to act promptly, even if they must sell the property for half its value, because the money is not theirs; it belongs to the deceased.

The same neglect appears when the deceased had taken a loan from the Real Estate Development Fund and left instalments unpaid. The heirs drag their feet, refusing to settle the Fund’s dues, and Satan may even whisper