and then gives him a special allowance over his brothers. This, too, is impermissible. If the son has volunteered his labor for his father, that is an act of dutifulness whose reward in the Hereafter surpasses any recompense in this life. If, on the other hand, he does not wish to volunteer and intends to work for wages, the father should set a proper salary for him—“Each month you will receive such-and-such,” just as he would pay a stranger—or say to him, “You will have a share of the profit.” But to single him out from among all his children while the son has in fact donated his labor as an act of filial piety is not lawful.

Likewise, if the father gives one of them something because he is a student of sacred knowledge or because he has memorized the Qur’an, he must say to the others, “Whoever among you pursues knowledge, I will give him the same as his brother; whoever memorizes the Qur’an, I will give him the same.” Should some of them take up the offer while others decline, those who declined have forfeited their claim. However, to favor this child without making the same opportunity available to his brothers is not allowed.

From the Prophet’s words ﷺ, “Fear Allah and deal justly with your children,” we learn that justice is not obligatory toward other relatives. You may therefore give some of your brothers more than others, or give to some and withhold from others, for the text addresses children only. As for the view held by some scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—that one must distribute gifts among all potential heirs in proportion to their eventual shares of inheritance, there is no evidence for it. The obligation of equal treatment applies solely to one’s children. Allah alone grants success.