Mirath

Book excerpt: When a person dies, his ownership of his property ends, and is to be given to his heirs. It is Allah's Ta'ala favour upon us that He has not made the disposal of that wealth as charity necessary, but rather, He in His wisdom knows that the death of any person is a great loss to their relatives and an even greater loss to their dependents who relied upon them for provision. That said, Allah Ta'ala also knew that Man has greed. And it is this greed that causes brother to hate brother and sister, and to usurp the rights of the less persuasive. For this reason, Allah has fixed, very clearly in the Qur'an, the allotted shares of the relatives of the deceased. This has been further mapped out in the Ahadith by the Prophet of Allah Ta'ala so as to leave no scope of doubt or leeway for argument in who gets what. Everyone will get their share: No more, no less. This prevents the greedy from getting more than their share and it stops the undefended from receiving less than their allotment. In Islam the concept of the wealth only going to the first born son is seen as oppressive. Islam has also distinguished the different levels of dependency of the closer relatives and has stipulated amounts varying in quantity in different circumstances. The factors that lessen one relative's share is the presence of another relative, who also has a considerable relationship with the deceased. There are times when an allotment may seem unfair, these will also be explained. For example, of two inheriting brothers, one may be financially well off whereas the other is poor. This will not mean that the poorer brother will get everything or more than the richer brother. This is because inheritance is not charity and is given on account of the strength of the relationship not on account of who is more needy. Both brothers in this aspect are equal, and will thus receive an equal share. This book only deals with the financial side of the events around death. For an in-depth look at the rites of passage of the burial please refer to our publication, "What to do when a Muslim Dies".