To whom does the *Wala'* (allegiance/patronage) revert if the paternal master's freedmen (*mawali al-ab*) become extinct?

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The *Wala'* reverts entirely to the Public Treasury (*Bayt al-Mal*) if the lineage of the paternal master's freedmen becomes extinct. This is the position held by the majority of scholars. The reasoning is that *Wala'* functions similarly to lineage or ancestry; if the paternal lineage is extinct, the connection does not revert to the maternal side, and similarly with *Wala'*.