Making a bequest that the estate be distributed unequally

· 9 Jumada II 1438 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

If a widow with several sons (no daughters) passes away and she previously made a verbal request in the presence of all her sons that her estate (only money) should be divided unequally between them (she specified how much each should receive), should this be obeyed or should the estate be distributed equally among the sons?

Answer

Her estate must be distributed according to the shar`ee stipulations. Her bequest in this regard is not valid.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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“If a bequest is made in favour of non-heirs, then the bequest will be valid up to one-third of the estate, if they, i.e., the beneficiaries, are alive at the time of demise.”

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