Does a female manumitter share inheritance with the male heirs of the freed slave?

Chapter on Inheritance of Wala'

Al-Mughni

Book of Walā' (Patronage)

Book 33 · Issue 4 · Bab 2

Open in Qurani

Primary text

When a manumitter (who is a woman) dies, her share of the freed slave's estate is determined by her relationship to the deceased slave. If the deceased slave was manumitted by the woman's father, the woman does not inherit from the freed slave, and her brother inherits instead, following kinship rules which precede *Walaa*. If the deceased slave was manumitted by the woman herself or by someone whose *Walaa* was transferred to her (e.g., the *Walaa* of someone manumitted by the person she freed), she inherits. There is consensus among scholars on the woman inheriting from her own freed slave, the freed slave of the person she freed, and the lineage inheriting through the one she freed. This is affirmed by the Prophet's statement regarding Barirah, emphasizing, 'The *Walaa* belongs only to the one who manumitted.' Additionally, the Prophet stated, 'A woman acquires three inheritances: her freed slave, her foundling, and the child she repudiated via *li'an'.'

Supporting text

In the case of the freed slave of the daughter of Hamza, where the slave left behind his daughter and the freed slave of Hamza's daughter (who was Hamza's freed slave), the Prophet awarded the slave's daughter half the estate and Hamza's daughter half. This confirms the inheritance of the female manumitter.