Volume 4, 55-Wills and Testaments (Wasaayaa)
Hadith Number 2738
Chapter : 1 Al-Wasaya
(And the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “One should have his Wasaya (last will and testament) written and kept ready with him.”
And the Statement of Allah جل جلاله: “It is prescribed for you, when death approaches any of you, if he leaves wealth, that he make a bequest to parents… (up to)… some unjust…” (V.2:180-182))
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “It is not permissible for any Muslim who has something to will to stay for two nights without having his last will and testament written and kept ready with him.”
Hadith Number 2739
Narrated `Amr bin Al-Harith: (The brother of the wife of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). Juwaira bint Al-Harith) When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died, he did not leave any Dirham or Dinar (i.e. money), a slave or a slave woman or anything else except his white mule, his arms and a piece of land which he had given in charity .
Hadith Number 2740
Narrated Talha bin Musarrif: I asked `Abdullah bin Abu `Aufa “Did the Prophet (ﷺ) make a will?” He replied, “No,” I asked him, “How is it then that the making of a will has been enjoined on people, (or that they are ordered to make a will)?” He replied, “The Prophet (ﷺ) bequeathed Allah’s Book (Qur’an).
Hadith Number 2741
Narrated Al-Aswad: In the presence of `Aisha some people mentioned that the Prophet (ﷺ) had appointed `Ali by will as his successor. `Aisha said, “When did he appoint him by will? Verily when he died he was resting against my chest (or said: in my lap) and he asked for a wash-basin and then collapsed while in that state, and I could not even perceive that he had died, so when did he appoint him by will?”
Hadith Number 2742
Chapter : 2 To leave inheritors wealthy than begging others
Narrated Sa`d bin Abu Waqqas: The Prophet (PBUH) came visiting me while I was (sick) in Mecca, (‘Amir the sub-narrator said, and he disliked to die in the land, whence he had already migrated). He (i.e. the Prophet) said, “May Allah bestow His Mercy on Ibn Afra (Sa`d bin Khaula).” I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! May I will all my property (in charity)?” He said, “No.” I said, “Then may I will half of it?” He said, “No”. I said, “One third?” He said: “Yes, one third, yet even one third is too much. It is better for you to leave your inheritors wealthy than to leave them poor begging others, and whatever you spend for Allah’s sake will be considered as a charitable deed even the handful of food you put in your wife’s mouth. Allah may lengthen your age so that some people may benefit by you, and some others be harmed by you.” At that time Sa`d had only one daughter.
Hadith Number 2743
Chapter : 3 To will one-third of one’s property
(Al-Hasan said, “A Dhimmi (i.e., a non-Muslim living under the protection of an Islamic government) is not allowed to will more than one-third of his property. And Allah عز وجل said: “And so judge (you O Muhammad ﷺ) among them by what Allah has revealed…” (V.5:49)
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: I recommend that people reduce the proportion of what they bequeath by will to the fourth (of the whole legacy), for Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “One-third, yet even one third is too much.”
Hadith Number 2744
Narrated Sa`d: I fell sick and the Prophet (ﷺ) paid me a visit. I said to him, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I invoke Allah that He may not let me expire in the land whence I migrated (i.e. Mecca).” He said, “May Allah give you health and let the people benefit by you.” I said, “I want to will my property, and I have only one daughter and I want to will half of my property (to be given in charity).” He said,” Half is too much.” I said, “Then I will one third.” He said, “One-third, yet even one-third is too much.” (The narrator added, “So the people started to will one third of their property and that was Permitted for them.”)
Hadith Number 2745
Chapter : 4 The saying of a testator to the executor, “Look after my son,”
Narrated `Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) `Utba bin Abi Waqqas entrusted (his son) to his brother Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas saying, “The son of the slave-girl of Zam`a is my (illegal) son, take him into your custody.” So during the year of the Conquest (of Mecca) Sa`d took the boy and said, “This is my brother’s son whom my brother entrusted to me.” ‘Abu bin Zam’s got up and said, “He is my brother and the son of the slave girl of my father and was born on my father’s bed.” Then both of them came to Allah’s Apostle and Sa`d said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! This is my brother’s son whom my brother entrusted to me.” Then ‘Abu bin Zam`a got up and said, “This is my brother and the son of the slave-girl of my father.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “O Abu bin Zam`a! This boy is for you as the boy belongs to the bed (where he was born), and for the adulterer is the stone (i.e. deprivation).” Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to his wife Sauda bint Zam`a, “Screen yourself from this boy,” when he saw the boy’s resemblance to `Utba. Since then the boy did not see Sauda till he died.
Hadith Number 2746
Chapter : 5 If a patient gives an evident clear sign by nodding
Narrated Anas: A Jew crushed the head of a girl between two stones. She was asked, “Who has done so to you, soand- so? So-and-so?” Till the name of the Jew was mentioned, whereupon she nodded (in agreement). So the Jew was brought and was questioned till he confessed. The Prophet (ﷺ) then ordered that his head be crushed with stones.
Hadith Number 2747
Chapter : 6 A legal heir has no right to inherit through a wil
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The custom (in old days) was that the property of the deceased would be inherited by his offspring; as for the parents (of the deceased), they would inherit by the will of the deceased. Then Allah cancelled from that custom whatever He wished and fixed for the male double the amount inherited by the female, and for each parent a sixth (of the whole legacy) and for the wife an eighth or a fourth and for the husband a half or a fourth.
Hadith Number 2748
Chapter : 7 Giving in charity at the time of death
Narrated Abu Huraira: A man asked the Prophet, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What kind of charity is the best?” He replied. “To give in charity when you are healthy and greedy hoping to be wealthy and afraid of becoming poor. Don’t delay giving in charity till the time when you are on the death bed when you say, ‘Give so much to soand- so and so much to so-and so,’ and at that time the property is not yours but it belongs to so-and-so (i.e. your inheritors).