Question

Assalam-u-alaikum Brother,

Jazak Allah Khair for your very beneficial talk on inhertiance issues.

I wanted to ask if the inheritance is divided after deducting the expenses due on the deceased due to loans, taxes, qada salah and rozas and funeral expenses etc.? or these expenses are deducted from 1/3rd of the total assessts of the deceased and the rest is divided as per the sharia.

In my will, I have mentioned that all above expenses due at the time of my death should be paid from my assets first and then the remaining assets should be divided. 1/3rd of the remaining go to charity and 2/3rd to my inheritors. I wanted to confirm if this is right.

May Allah reward you in abundance

Answer

When a person passes away the estate will first be spent on burial expenses and paying off debts. After this, up to 1/3 of the estate will be spent according to the will of the deceased. If they willed for 1/3 to go to charity then 1/3 will go to charity. Thereafter the remaining 2/3 will be divided between the inheritors.

Bear in mind that payments for outstanding salat and missed fasts will not fall under debts, rather they will come out of the 1/3 which you have a right to have distributed as you wish. If the payments can be made within 1/3 of the estate then the remainder of that 1/3 will be given to charity as per your will. If the entire 1/3 is used up in these payments then the remainder of the estate cannot be used to cover any outstanding payments unless the inheritors mutually agree.

الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (2/ 72)
(ولو مات وعليه صلوات فائتة وأوصى بالكفارة يعطى لكل صلاة نصف صاع من بر)

كالفطرة وكذا حكم الوتر والصوم، وإنما يعطي من ثلث ماله  ولو لم يترك مالا يستقرض وارثه نصف صاع مثلا ويدفعه لفقير ثم يدفعه الفقير للوارث ثم وثم حتى يتم

(قوله وإنما يعطي من ثلث ماله)

أي فلو زادت الوصية على الثلث لا يلزم الولي إخراج الزائد إلا بإجازة الورثة. وفي القنية: أوصى بثلث ماله إلى صلوات عمره وعليه دين فأجاز الغريم وصيته لا تجوز لأن الوصية متأخرة عن الدين ولم يسقط الدين بإجازته

Answered by:
Maulana Hilal Patel

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel