What is the ruling on inheriting for grandmothers further removed than the first two (e.g., mother of mother's mother)?
Chapter on the Roots of Inheritance Shares that Increase (Awl)
Al-Mughni
Book of Inheritance Shares (Farā'id)
Primary text
There is a difference of opinion regarding inheriting beyond the two immediate grandmothers. Abu Abdullah (Ahmad) holds that only three grandmothers inherit in total, a view narrated from Ali, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Ibn Mas'ud, and supported by Al-Awza'i and Ishaq. The evidence for limiting the inheritance is the narration that the Prophet (PBUH) granted inheritance to three grandmothers, which necessitates the inclusion of the father's father's mother or someone higher up, and another narration indicating inheritance is limited to three: two from the father's side and one from the mother's side.
Supporting text
A view attributed to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman, Malik, and others, including the old position of Al-Shafi'i, states that no more than two grandmothers inherit. Al-Zuhri reportedly stated that only two grandmothers were known to inherit in Islam. Dawud held that the father's father's mother does not inherit because she does not inherit from him, and she is not mentioned in the report.