What is the ruling on a mother's gift that singles out one child?
2026-10-14
T205 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete source question and answer
Complete original question and answer, 31/272.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
وسئل رحمه الله عن امرأة لها أولاد غير أشقاء، فخصصت أحد الأولاد، وتصدقت عليه بحصة من ملكها دون بقية إخوته، ثم توفيت المذكورة وهي مقيمة بالمكان المتصدق به: فهل تصح الصدقة أم لا؟
الجواب
الحمد لله، إذا لم يقبضها حتى ماتت بطلت الهبة في المشهور من مذهب الأئمة الأربعة. وإن أقبضته إياه لم يجز على الصحيح أن يختص به الموهوب له، بل يكون مشتركا بينه وبين إخوته. والله أعلم.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
He, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about a woman whose children were not all full siblings. She singled out one child and gave him a share of her property to the exclusion of his siblings. She then died while still residing in the property she had given. Is the gift valid?
Answer
Praise be to Allah. If he did not take possession of it before she died, the gift became void according to the well-known position of the four imams' schools. If she did deliver possession to him, then according to the correct view the recipient may not keep it exclusively; rather, it is shared between him and his siblings. Allah knows best.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 31/272
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic checked against the cited source and adjacent question boundaries. Diacritics and display marks omitted; honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.