Question
I am an elderly person. I own a property (house and land) in which live in presently. I have children (sons and a daughter). I would like give this property in equal shares, to my two grandchildren; my granddaughter, who lives abroad and my grandson who lives in Trinidad. Two of my sons are presently living in the house with me. They have their own separate section of the house. I have given it to them to live until they die, they can live in it until they die, but it does not belong to them. I don’t want to give them this property as I have given them enough in their lifetime. I also would like that my grandchildren honour my request by allowing my sons, to live in the property for the rest of their lives. Please guide me as to how I should proceed in this matter both from a Shariah and legal perspective.
Answer
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
When a person dies his estate will be distributed according to the laws of inheritance. The heirs of the estate and their shares are stipulated by the Shariah. If you were to die your estate (everything that was in your ownership till your last breath) will be transferred to your heirs viz. your sons and daughter. As for your grandson and granddaughter, they will not inherit due to the presence of your sons. You may, however, make a Wasiyyah (bequest) for them which will allow them to benefit from your estate by virtue of being beneficiaries to the Wasiyyah (and not heirs).
Considering that you have already decided to give this property (house and land) to your two grandchildren you may gift it to them in your lifetime. Gifting to the grandchildren will be valid if done verbally. It is, however, highly recommend that it be written, signed, and witnessed, to avoid future conflicts. Once they (grandchildren) take possession of it (physically or constructively) the gifting will be completed and consequently, the ownership of the house will be transferred. Therefore, if you happen to die, this particular property will not constitute your estate.
Regarding your two sons who are presently living in the house, you have stated that you have given them separate sections of the house wherein they will live for the rest of their lives (until they die). If it is that you have given them the house with the condition that they live in it until they die that is considered Hiba (gift) and seeing that they are already living therein (i.e. possession has taken place), the gifting is completed and thus ownership has been transferred. This means that the sections of the house in which your two sons are living presently belong to them respectively, as you have gifted it to them. As for the condition you have made when gifting, (to live therein till death), according to the Fuqaha (Jurists of Islam), this condition is null and void and thus has no bearing.[1]
Therefore, if you were to gift your two grandchildren the property (house and land) and they were to take possession of it, the ownership of the property will be transferred to them except for the two sections in which your two sons presently occupy.[2]
If, however, you were to die without the property being transferred to the grandchildren, your entire estate will be distributed amongst your children (sons and daughter) according to the laws of Islamic Inheritance. As for the two sections of the house presently owned by the two sons, that will not be part of the estate as stated above.
Nb: If, in reality, you haven’t gifted (in the past), any portion of your property to your two sons, but merely privileged them to live therein for as long as they want, then that is not considered a gift and thus the entire property still remains in your ownership.[3] This being the case, after transferring the property to your grandchildren, you can only plead to them to honour your request by not evicting your two sons.
Nb: All documents (transfers, wills, etc.), in addition to being Shariah-compliant, should also meet the requirements of the state law so that it can be enforced.
Mufti Kaleem Muhammad
Darul Iftaa, Trinidad
www.fatwa-tt.com
[1] الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (5/ 707)
(قَوْلُهُ جَازَ الْعُمْرَى) بِالضَّمِّ مِنْ الْإِعْمَارِ كَمَا فِي الصِّحَاحِ قَالَ فِي الْهَامِشِ: الْعُمْرَى هِيَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ دَارِهِ لَهُ عُمْرَهُ فَإِذَا مَاتَ تُرَدُّ عَلَيْهِ هـ
البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (7/ 285)
(قَوْلُهُ وَأَعْمَرْتُكَ هَذَا الشَّيْءَ) لِأَنَّ الْعُمْرَى تَمْلِيكٌ لِلْحَالِ فَتَثْبُتُ الْهِبَةُ وَيَبْطُلُ مَا اقْتَضَاهُ مِنْ شَرْطِ الرُّجُوعِ وَكَذَلِكَ لَوْ شَرَطَ الرُّجُوعَ صَرِيحًا يَبْطُلُ شَرْطُهُ أَيْضًا لَوْ قَالَ وَهَبْتُك هَذَا الْعَبْدَ حَيَاتَك وَحَيَاتَهُ أَوْ أَعْمَرْتُكَ دَارِي هَذِهِ حَيَاتَك أَوْ أَعْطَيْتهَا حَيَاتَك أَوْ وَهَبْت هَذَا الْعَبْدَ حَيَاتَك فَإِذَا مَتَّ فَهُوَ لِي أَوْ إذَا مِتُّ فَهُوَ لِوَرَثَتِي فَهَذَا تَمْلِيكٌ صَحِيحٌ وَشَرْطٌ بَاطِلٌ لِمَا تَقَدَّمَ أَنَّهَا لَا تَبْطُلُ بِالشُّرُوطِ الْفَاسِدَةِ
المبسوط للسرخسي (12/ 96)
وَإِنْ قَالَ: دَارِي هَذِهِ لَك عُمْرَى تَسْكُنُهَا، وَسَلَّمَهَا إلَيْهِ: فَهِيَ هِبَةٌ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَسْكُنُهَا لَيْسَ بِتَفْسِيرٍ لِقَوْلِهِ: عُمْرَى، فَالْفِعْلُ لَا يَصْلُحُ تَفْسِيرًا لِلِاسْمِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ مَشُورَةٌ أَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ فِي مِلْكِهِ فَإِنْ شَاءَ: قَبِلَ مَشُورَتَهُ وَسَكَنَهَا، وَإِنْ شَاءَ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ، وَهُوَ بَيَانٌ لِمَقْصُودِهِ أَنَّهُ مَلَّكَهُ الدَّارَ عُمْرَهُ لِيَسْكُنَهَا، وَهَذَا مَعْلُومٌ. وَإِنْ لَمْ يَذْكُرْهُ، فَلَا يَتَغَيَّرُ بِهِ حُكْمُ التَّمْلِيكِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ قَوْلِهِ: هَذَا الطَّعَامُ لَكَ تَأْكُلُهُ، أَوْ هَذَا الثَّوْبُ لَك تَلْبَسُهُ.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (5/ 708)
قَالَ: دَارِي هَذِهِ لَك عُمْرَى تَسْكُنُهَا، وَسَلَّمَهَا إلَيْهِ، فَهِيَ هِبَةٌ وَهِيَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ قَوْلِهِ: طَعَامِي هَذَا لَك تَأْكُلُهُ وَهَذَا الثَّوْبُ لَك تَلْبَسُهُ، وَإِنْ قَالَ: وَهَبْت لَك هَذَا الْعَبْدَ حَيَاتَك وَحَيَاتَهُ، فَقَبَضَهُ فَهِيَ هِبَةٌ جَائِزَةٌ وَقَوْلُهُ: حَيَاتَك، بَاطِلٌ وَكَذَا لَوْ قَالَ: أَعُمْرَتِك دَارِي هَذِهِ حَيَاتَك أَوْ قَالَ: أَعْطَيْتُكَهَا حَيَاتَك فَإِذَا مِتَّ فَهِيَ لِي، وَإِذَا مِتُّ أَنَا فَهِيَ لِوَارِثِي
الاحكام الشرعية في الاحوال الشخصية على مذهب أبي حنيفة النعمان
(للشيخ محمد قدري باشا) (ص153 )
(مادة 504)
العمرى جائزة للمعمر له و لورثته من بعده و هي جعل نحو داره للمعمرله بشرط ان يردها على المعمِر او على ورثته اذا مات المعمر له أو المعمِر و نحوه قوله أعمرتُك داري هذه حياتك او وهبتك هذه العين حياتك فاذا متُّ فهي لورثتي فتصح و يبطل شرط الردعلى المعمر او ورثته هـ
[3] المبسوط للسرخسي (12/ 96)
فَإِنْ قَالَ: دَارِي لَك عُمْرَى سُكْنَى: فَهَذِهِ عَارِيَّةٌ؛ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: سُكْنَى تَفْسِيرٌ لِقَوْلِهِ: عُمْرَى. وَالْكَلَامُ الْمُبْهَمُ إذَا تَعَقَّبَهُ تَفْسِيرٌ فَالْحُكْمُ لِلتَّفْسِيرِ، وَبَيَانُ هَذَا وَهُوَ أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: لَك عُمْرَى، يَحْتَمِلُ تَمْلِيكَ عَيْنِهَا مِنْهُ عُمْرَهُ، وَيَحْتَمِلُ تَمْلِيكَ مَنْفَعَتِهَا. فَكَانَ قَوْلُهُ: سُكْنَى، تَفْسِيرًا، أَيْ: لَك سُكْنَاهَا عُمْرَك
بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (6/ 118)
وَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْقَرِينَةُ مَنْفَعَةً بِأَنْ قَالَ دَارِي لَك سُكْنَى أَوْ عُمْرَى سُكْنَى أَوْ صَدَقَةً سُكْنَى أَوْ هِبَةً سُكْنَى أَوْ سُكْنَى هِبَةً أَوْ هِيَ لَكَ عُمْرَى عَارِيَّةً وَدَفَعَهَا إلَيْهِ فَهَذَا كُلُّهُ عَارِيَّةٌ لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا ذَكَرَ السُّكْنَى فِي قَوْلِهِ دَارِي لَكَ سُكْنَى أَوْ عُمْرَى سُكْنَى أَوْ صَدَقَةً سُكْنَى دَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ تَمْلِيكَ الْمَنَافِعِ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ هَذَا لَكَ ظَاهِرُهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ لِتَمْلِيكِ الْعَيْنِ لَكِنَّهُ يَحْتَمِلُ تَمْلِيكَ الْمَنْفَعَةِ لِأَنَّ الْإِضَافَةَ إلَى الْمُسْتَعِيرِ وَالْمُسْتَأْجِرِ مَنْفَعَةٌ عُرْفًا وَشَرْعًا وَقَوْلُهُ سُكْنَى مَوْضُوعٌ لِلْمَنْفَعَةِ لَا تُسْتَعْمَلُ إلَّا لَهَا فَكَانَ مُحْكَمًا فَجُعِلَ تَفْسِيرًا لِلْمُحْتَمِلِ وَبَيَانًا أَنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِهِ تَمْلِيكَ الْمَنْفَعَةِ وَتَمْلِيكُ الْمَنْفَعَةِ بِغَيْرِ عِوَضٍ هُوَ تَفْسِيرُ الْعَارِيَّةِ وَكَذَا قَوْلُهُ سُكْنَى بَعْدَ ذِكْرِ الْهِبَةِ يَكُونُ تَفْسِيرًا لِلْهِبَةِ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ هِبَةٌ يَحْتَمِلُ هِبَةَ الْعَيْنِ وَيَحْتَمِلُ هِبَةَ الْمَنَافِعِ
