An-Nisa: 176
**"They ask you for a legal ruling. Say, 'Allah...'"**
It is narrated that this was the last of the legal rulings to be revealed.
The Occasion of Revelation:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was on the road to Mecca during the Farewell Pilgrimage when Jabir bin Abdullah came to him and said, "I have a sister; how much do I inherit from her if she dies?"
It is also said that he (Jabir) was ill, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited him. He asked, "I am a kalala (one with no direct heirs), so what should I do with my wealth?"
Then this was revealed: "If a man dies..."
Grammatical Analysis:
- "If a man (imru’un) dies": The word imru’un is in the nominative case due to an implied verb that the explicit verb explains.
- "Having no child": The position of this phrase is nominative as an adjective, not accusative as a state (hal). It means: "If a man dies who is not a possessor of a child."
- "Child" (walad): This refers to the son. It is a collective noun that applies to both male and female. The son excludes the sister, but the daughter does not exclude her (except in the school of Ibn Abbas). This refers to the sister from both father and mother, not the sister from the mother only, because Allah has ordained half for her and made her brother a ‘asaba (residuary heir), saying: "For the male is the portion of two females." As for the sister from the mother, she receives one-sixth in the verse of inheritance, with no distinction between her and her brother.
"And he inherits from her":
Her brother inherits from her if the situation were reversed—that is, if she died and he remained after her.
"If she has no child":
Meaning: no son, because the son excludes the brother, whereas the daughter does not.
A Question and Answer:
- Question: If you say, "The son does not exclude the brother alone, for the father is his equal in exclusion, so why limit it to the negation of the child?"
- Answer: I clarify the ruling of the absence of the child and entrust the ruling of the absence of the father to the clarification of the Sunnah, which is his (ﷺ) saying: "Give the shares to those entitled to them, and whatever remains belongs to the nearest male relative." The father is closer than the brother, and they are not two equal rulings; one is clarified by the Book and the other by the Sunnah.
- It is also possible that the ruling on the absence of the child implies the ruling on the absence of the father, because the child is closer to the deceased than the father. If the brother inherits upon the absence of the closer relative, he is more entitled to inherit upon the absence of the more distant one. Furthermore, kalala encompasses the absence of both the father and the child, so mentioning the absence of one implies the absence of the other.
"If there are two (sisters)..." and "If there are brothers...":
- Question: To whom do the dual and plural pronouns refer in His saying: "If there are two" and "If there are brothers"?
- Answer: The origin is: "If those who inherit by virtue of brotherhood are two," and "If those who inherit by virtue of brotherhood are males and females." The dual and plural were used just as one says, "Who was your mother?" Just as the pronoun for "who" (man) was feminized because of the feminine predicate, the pronoun for those who inherit was dualized and pluralized because of the dual and plural predicate. "Brothers" (ikhwa) refers to both brothers and sisters, giving precedence to the masculine rule.
"Lest you go astray":
This is a maf’ul lahu (causative object). Its meaning is: "out of fear that you might go astray."
Regarding the Prophet (ﷺ):
"Whoever recites Surah An-Nisa, it is as if he gave charity to every believing man and woman, inherited an inheritance, was given the reward of one who freed a slave, was cleared of polytheism, and was among those whom Allah wills to pardon."
(Note: This narration is fabricated).
