Assalamualakum brother,
I hope Alhamdoulila you are all doing well. May Allah bless you and your family members for all the effort you are putting in guiding the Ummah on various isues. Ameen.
I’m a new muslim but have been muslim for quite a while now. Unfortunately my parents are not muslims. I was born out of wedlock so both parents are leaving their own life apart. Yesterday my mother came to me with a problem. She has a piece of land where she built a few stores and now a big supermarket wants to rent them. However, they want my mother to complete the project but adding a second level. Essentially we will have store at the first and second level. Now my mother needs money to complete this project. She mentioned that she is doing this for her children because she is getting old and only her children will benefit from this when she passed. We are 4 brothers and 1 sister. On the other hand i also started building my house last year and whatever money I save goes toward this project.
Should I focus on my mother project and stop mine? What are the laws of inherintance when it comes to non muslims parents?What will happen if I invest in my mother project and tomorrow my sibblings start fighing if I ask for my share. Please guide me. Alhamdoulila I’m married with 3 kids who are muslims. Insha Allah when I leave this world i want to leave them with a good understanding and pratice of deen with a house they can all share.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
It is pleasing to note that Allah has blessed you with Iman. May Allah fulfill your noble intentions to raise your children with Iman and empower them to the best of your ability.
Your mother is a non-Muslim. We take note of your mother’s consideration to secure her children after she passes away.
That is an expression of her motherly feeling towards yourself and her kindheartedness.
You should reciprocate to her kindness according to her status as your mother.
Your focus should be in assisting her to attain eternal salvation rather than simply assisting her to secure her children’s future at the expense of her eternal destruction.
Appreciate her kindheartedness and express to her your concern that, while she is concerned about building projects for her children, you are more concerned about her building her own project in Jannah after she passes away.
Use wisdom and diplomacy in getting this message across to her.
As a kind gesture to her and to draw her to Iman, you should consider her request and assist her.
If she accepts Islam, then you will inherit from her and she cannot make a bequest for you.[i]
If she does not accept Islam, she should make a bequest in your favor to the maximum of one-third of her entire estate.[ii]
In order to secure yourself in any event, you may advance the money to your mother as a loan and have that formally recorded.
If she passes away, her estate will pay you the loan.
If you inherit from her (if she accepts Islam) or she makes a bequest for you, that loan given to your mother will be treated separately.
You should consider assisting your mother in other ways and express kindness and compassion to her as a religious injunction of Islam.
Inform her that your Islam teaches you to value one’s mother and that paradise lies under her feet.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saad Haque
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
[i] النتف في الفتاوى للسغدي (2/ 815)
وَلَا وَصِيَّة لثَلَاثَة نفر:
أحدهم الْوَارِث الا ان يُجِيزهُ الْوَرَثَة وهم كبار
[ii] البناية شرح الهداية (13/ 399)
م: (قال) ش: أي القدوري: م: (ويجوز أن يوصي المسلم للكافر والكافر للمسلم) ش: أراد بالكافر الذمي لا الحربي؛ لأن الحربي لا يجوز له الوصية على ما يأتي.
بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (4/ 171)
وَلَوْ أَوْصَى ذِمِّيٌّ لِذِمِّيٍّ أَوْ لِمُسْلِمٍ، أَوْ مُسْلِمٌ لِذِمِّيٍّ بِالْمَالِ جَازَتْ الْوَصِيَّةُ،
(7/ 335)
وَأَمَّا إسْلَامُ الْمُوصِي فَلَيْسَ بِشَرْطٍ لِصِحَّةِ وَصِيَّتِهِ فَتَصِحُّ وَصِيَّةُ الَّذِي بِالْمَالِ لِلْمُسْلِمِ، وَالذِّمِّيِّ فِي الْجُمْلَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْكُفْرَ لَا يُنَافِي أَهْلِيَّةَ التَّمْلِيكِ
الفتاوى الهندية (6/ 132)
وَلَوْ أَوْصَى ذِمِّيٌّ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ الثُّلُثِ أَوْ لِبَعْضِ وَرَثَتِهِ لَمْ يَصِحَّ كَالْمُسْلِمِ، وَلَوْ أَوْصَى لِخِلَافِ مِلَّتِهِ صَحَّ كَالْإِرْثِ وَلَوْ أَوْصَى لِحَرْبِيٍّ غَيْرِ مُسْتَأْمَنٍ لَا يَصِحُّ، كَذَا فِي الْكَافِي.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 697)
لأن وصية الذمي تعتبر من الثلث