Denying my son inheritance because he cheated me.. 

Answered by Shaykh Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf Mangera

Question:

I gave some cash to one of my sons for starting a business-a small textile mills-about 15 years ago with clear verbal arrangement that he would give equal shares to his other two brothers. Now that his mill has done well and his assets have gone up manifold, he has denied this to his brother and on reminding him he has totally refused to fulfill his commitment. I am an old man of 67.will it be Islamically correct to deprive him the equal amount of my property, he was supposed to part with in favour of his other two brothers and give it to them 

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalamu alaykum

In the name of Allah the Inspirer of truth.

There is no way you can deny him the right to inheritance, since whatever you possess at your death will pass on to the inheritors immediately.

However, if you distributed your wealth to your other children before your death (and before any terminal illness), that would be permissible. In this way nothing will remain in your possession at your death to inherit by anyone. You will have to transfer complete ownership to them before your death for this to be a valid transfer.

We would however only advise this as a last resort after all negotiations with him fail and if you still feel like depriving him of the amount of cash you had originally given to him. Try again to settle with him so that he either give his brothers and sisters their rightful share or he return the capital cash amount back to you.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalam
Abdurrahman ibn Yusuf

MMVIII © SunniPath.
All rights reserved
No part of this article may be reproduced, displayed, modified, or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder. For permission, please submit a request at our Helpdesk.

Now What?

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Knowledge is only through study." While some knowledge can be gained from reading or casually listening to lectures, the best means to gain knowledge is through finding a qualified teacher and then setting up a systematic program of learning. Picking up a book or reading an article and trying to figure things out on our own is no substitute for learning from someone who has a direct link to our living tradition.

Through joining an online class at SunniPath Academy, you can benefit from convenient, online courses that will give you access to reliable scholars and our popular curriculum learning tracks. Knowledge gained in these courses will both build your iman and assist you in putting into practice what you learn. Don't give yourself less than you deserve, register today.

Related Links:

  1. Why you'll love our courses
  2. How SunniPath courses work (video)
  3. What our students say
  4. Our current available courses
Donate Now
Academic Calendar?
Feb 5 Spring Late Registration Ends
March 16 Summer Registration Begins
April 23 Summer Financial Aid Deadline
April 25 Spring Semester Ends
May 11 Summer Semester Begins
May 28 Late Registration Ends
View entire academic calendar

Featured Courses