Does acknowledgment of lineage for a deceased person, infant, or insane person establish lineage and inheritance?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Acknowledgment of Rights
Primary text
The lineage of a deceased person, an infant, or an insane person established through acknowledgment is confirmed, and the acknowledged person inherits. This is the position held by Al-Shafi'i. The evidence for confirming the lineage after death rests on the existence of the acknowledgment, which is the same rationale for establishing lineage during life. This is analogous to cases where the acknowledged person is alive and wealthy, or the acknowledging party is poor; in those instances, the lineage is established, and the acknowledging party may dispose of their wealth, conditional upon the acknowledged person.
Supporting text
An alternative view suggests that while lineage is established, inheritance is not, due to suspicion that the ackowledger intends to unjustly claim the inheritance of the deceased. Abu Hanifa holds that neither lineage nor inheritance is established for this reason.