A man who used to buy and sell in prohibited matters, so he acquired a great deal of wealth from that, then he died. Do his heirs have the right to dispose of this wealth and divide it among themselves?
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The questioner : He says:The questioner : A man who used to buy and sell in prohibited matters, so he acquired a great deal of wealth from that, then he died. Do his heirs have the right to dispose of this wealth and divide it among themselves?
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning: if a man used to earn wealth through a forbidden means and then died, this wealth is lawful for his heirs, and the sin is upon whom? The sin is upon the deceased, unless the heirs know that this specific wealth belongs to a particular person, in which case they must return it to him. An example of this is a man who usurped a piece of land from a person, encroached on his boundaries, and then died, and the heirs know that half of this land belongs to his neighbor. It is obligatory for them to return it to his neighbor, because this is the very property of his. Likewise, if he stole something and the stolen wealth remained with him until he died, his heirs must return the stolen property to its owner. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, meaning: if a man used to earn wealth through a forbidden means and then died, this wealth is lawful for his heirs, and the sin is upon whom? The sin is upon the deceased, unless the heirs know that this specific wealth belongs to a particular person, in which case they must return it to him. An example of this is a man who usurped a piece of land from a person, encroached on his boundaries, and then died, and the heirs know that half of this land belongs to his neighbor. It is obligatory for them to return it to his neighbor, because this is the very property of his. Likewise, if he stole something and the stolen wealth remained with him until he died, his heirs must return the stolen property to its owner. Yes.