Is a bequest nullified if the item undergoes manufacturing processes beyond grinding or baking?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Bequests
Primary text
If a testator bequeathed flax or cotton and then spun it, or bequeathed yarn and wove it into cloth, or bequeathed cloth and cut it, or bequeathed a lump of metal (*naqra*) and struck it (into shape), or bequeathed a sheep and slaughtered it, the bequest is considered revoked. This ruling is held by the Companions of Al-Ra'y (Hanafi scholars) and Al-Shafi'i in the explicit view of his school. The reasoning is that the item has been prepared for use, thus constituting revocation, similar to the previous cases.
Supporting text
Abu Al-Khattab and Abu Thawr hold that such actions do not constitute revocation because they argue that the original name of the item is not removed. However, this is rejected because the cloth is not called yarn, nor is yarn called flax.