What is the obligatory bequest in wealth?
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The questioner : Many people understand that a bequest is obligatory in wealth.
The Shaykh : The obligatory bequest in wealth is one of two things: either he has rights owed to him by people, in which case he must make a bequest for them so that he may clear his conscience; or he has rights owed to people, in which case he must make a bequest for them so that the rights of the heirs are not compromised. Anything beyond that is a matter of voluntary charity and extra worship.
The questioner : The common understanding among people now is that a person must bequeath a known amount from his wealth to the poor, but this understanding is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : No, it is not obligatory, because he has the right to one-third. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:. So if he leaves the entire wealth to the heirs, especially if they are poor, that is better than making a bequest of any part of his wealth.
The Shaykh : The obligatory bequest in wealth is one of two things: either he has rights owed to him by people, in which case he must make a bequest for them so that he may clear his conscience; or he has rights owed to people, in which case he must make a bequest for them so that the rights of the heirs are not compromised. Anything beyond that is a matter of voluntary charity and extra worship.
The questioner : The common understanding among people now is that a person must bequeath a known amount from his wealth to the poor, but this understanding is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : No, it is not obligatory, because he has the right to one-third. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
One-third, and one-third is a lot.
الثلث ، والثلث كثير
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.