Assalam Mualaykum,
In the inheritance talk by Mufti Adbur Rahman Mangera, he talked about a permissible method of transferring a house to one’s son whilst both are still living in the property. The suggestion was to sell the house for a token amount. Would the authorities need to be notified of this sale, as putting a price on the property would complicate the process and incur additional charges?
Currently, my son and I have a 50/50 share with both of our names on the deeds. I wish to make him the sole owner.
Can we change the names on the house deeds as one activity, and then sell the house as a transaction separately, or do both things need to happen at the same time?
Jazakallah Khairun
Wassallam
In the name of Allah, the Inspirer of truth
Distributing one’s assets in their lifetime is a hiba (gift). Whilst one is alive and not on his deathbed, he can gift his possessions as he pleases to whomever he wishes. It is a condition of hiba for the recipient to assume possession of the gifted item. If, before the death of the one gifting, the recipient has not taken possession, the hiba will be rendered void.
It is necessary for the requisites of hiba to be found for the contract to be realised. The requisites of hiba include the recipient assuming possession of the gifted item, the gifted item must not be of joint tenancy, and it must be divisible and unoccupied. Based on these conditions, merely stating ‘I am gifting you such and such’ will not suffice.
When assuming possession of the property, it is not only essential for the recipient to be given unrestricted access (i.e., the key), but he must also assume ‘active possession’. Hence if a father gifts his son the house which he is living in, he (the father) must relinquish his control by moving out and taking all his possessions with him. It is only when he has physically vacated the property and taken all his belongings, the transfer of ownership can take place.
Since it can be rather difficult to move out all of one’s many years of belongings solely for the purpose of transferring ownership – when the plan is for him to continue living there, an alternative is for the father to sell the property to his son. A sale does not bear all the same conditions and requisites as gifting. Hence, if a father sells the property to his son, ownership will immediately be transferred, even if the father has not vacated the property.
Please note, it is permitted for this sale to be informally transacted. Islamic law recognises that there may be a need for someone to have another’s name on the legal paperwork of his property for personal reasons. In that case, it will not reflect actual ownership and the property will now be considered under the son’s ownership.
To respond to your queries directly, it is not necessary for you to inform the authorities about the sale of your property to your son. Similarly, it is not required for the change in name on the property deeds to take place at the same time as the sale transaction.
On a final note, since you are transferring your property to your son during your lifetime, to avoid any issues after you die, we strongly recommend that there is clarity of this among all your heirs. You may want to consider making witnesses or signing contracts as an evidence of this sale.
And Allah knows best.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (6/ 679)(يُعْتَبَرُ حَالُ الْعَقْدِ فِي تَصَرُّفِ مُنَجِّزٍ) هُوَ الَّذِي أَوْجَبَ حُكْمَهُ فِي الْحَالِ (فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الصِّحَّةِ فَمِنْ كُلِّ مَالِهِ وَإِلَّا فَمِنْ ثُلُثِهِ) وَالْمُرَادُ التَّصَرُّفُ الَّذِي هُوَ إنْشَاءٌ وَيَكُونُ فِيهِ مَعْنَى التَّبَرُّعِ …
الفتاوى الهندية (4/ 400) قَالَ فِي الْأَصْلِ: وَلَا تَجُوزُ هِبَةُ الْمَرِيضِ وَلَا صَدَقَتُهُ إلَّا مَقْبُوضَةً فَإِذَا قُبِضَتْ جَازَتْ مِنْ الثُّلُثِ وَإِذَا مَاتَ الْوَاهِبُ قَبْلَ التَّسْلِيمِ بَطَلَتْ، يَجِبُ أَنْ يُعْلَمَ بِأَنَّ هِبَةَ الْمَرِيضِ هِبَةٌ عَقْدًا وَلَيْسَتْ بِوَصِيَّةٍ وَاعْتِبَارُهَا مِنْ الثُّلُثِ مَا كَانَتْ؛ لِأَنَّهَا وَصِيَّةٌ مَعْنًى؛ لِأَنَّ حَقَّ الْوَرَثَةِ يَتَعَلَّقُ بِمَالِ الْمَرِيضِ وَقَدْ تَبَرَّعَ بِالْهِبَةِ فَيَلْزَمُ تَبَرُّعُهُ بِقَدْرِ مَا جَعَلَ الشَّرْعُ لَهُ وَهُوَ الثُّلُثُ، وَإِذَا كَانَ هَذَا التَّصَرُّفُ هِبَةً عَقْدًا شُرِطَ لَهُ سَائِرُ شَرَائِطِ الْهِبَةِ وَمِنْ جُمْلَةِ شَرَائِطِهَا قَبْضُ الْمَوْهُوبِ لَهُ قَبْلَ مَوْتِ الْوَاهِبِ، كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (5/ 688) وَ) شَرَائِطُ صِحَّتِهَا (فِي الْمَوْهُوبِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَقْبُوضًا غَيْرَ مَشَاعٍ مُمَيَّزًا غَيْرَ مَشْغُولٍ) كَمَا سَيَتَّضِحُ. (قَوْلُهُ: صِحَّتِهَا) أَيْ بَقَائِهَا عَلَى الصِّحَّةِ كَمَا سَيَأْتِي (قَوْلُهُ مَقْبُوضًا) رَجُلٌ أُضَلَّ لُؤْلُؤَةً فَوَهَبَهَا لِآخَرَ وَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى طَلَبِهَا وَقَبْضِهَا مَتَى وَجَدَهَا. قَالَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ: هَذِهِ هِبَةٌ فَاسِدَةٌ لِأَنَّهَا عَلَى خَطَرٍ، وَالْهِبَةُ لَا تَصِحُّ مَعَ الْخَطَرِ، وَقَالَ زُفَرُ: تَجُوزُ خَانِيَّةٌ (قَوْلُهُ: مَشَاعٍ) أَيْ: فِيمَا يُقْسَمُ كَمَا يَأْتِي، وَهَذَا فِي الْهِبَةِ، وَأَمَّا إذَا تَصَدَّقَ بِالْكُلِّ عَلَى اثْنَيْنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَجُوزُ عَلَى الْأَصَحِّ بَحْرٌ: أَيْ بِخِلَافِ مَا إذَا تَصَدَّقَ بِالْبَعْضِ عَلَى وَاحِدٍ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَصِحُّ كَمَا يَأْتِي آخِرَ الْمُتَفَرِّقَاتِ لَكِنْ سَيَأْتِي أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ لَا شُيُوعَ فِي الْأُولَى وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ فِي الْبَحْرِ هُنَا أَحْكَامَ الْمَشَاعِ، وَعَقَدَ لَهَا فِي جَامِعِ الْفُصُولَيْنِ تَرْجَمَةً فَرَاجِعْهُ. [فَائِدَةٌ] مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَهَبَ نِصْفَ دَارٍ مَشَاعًا يَبِيعُ مِنْهُ نِصْفَ الدَّارِ بِثَمَنٍ مَعْلُومٍ ثُمَّ يُبْرِيهِ عَنْ الثَّمَنِ بَزَّازِيَّةٌ
اللباب في شرح الكتاب (2/ 171) (وتتم) الهبة له إلا (بالقبض) الكامل الممكن في الموهوب، فالقبض الكامل في المنقول ما يناسبه، وكذا العقار كقبض المفتاح أو التخلية، وفيما يحتمل السمة بالقسمة، وفيما لا يحتملها بتبعية الكل، وتمامه في الدرر
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (5/ 690) (وَ) تَصِحُّ (بِقَبْضٍ بِلَا إذْنٍ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ) فَإِنَّهُ هُنَا كَالْقَبُولِ فَاخْتُصَّ بِالْمَجْلِسِ (وَبَعْدَهُ بِهِ) أَيْ بَعْدَ الْمَجْلِسِ بِالْإِذْنِ، وَفِي الْمُحِيطِ لَوْ كَانَ أَمْرُهُ بِالْقَبْضِ حِينَ وَهَبَهُ لَا يَتَقَيَّدُ بِالْمَجْلِسِ وَيَجُوزُ الْقَبْضُ بَعْدَهُ (وَالتَّمَكُّنُ مِنْ الْقَبْضِ كَالْقَبْضِ فَلَوْ وَهَبَ لِرَجُلٍ ثِيَابًا فِي صُنْدُوقٍ مُقْفَلٍ وَدَفَعَ إلَيْهِ الصُّنْدُوقَ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَبْضًا) لِعَدَمِ تَمَكُّنِهِ مِنْ الْقَبْضِ (وَإِنْ مَفْتُوحًا كَانَ قَبْضًا لِتَمَكُّنِهِ مِنْهُ) فَإِنَّهُ كَالتَّخْلِيَةِ فِي الْبَيْعِ اخْتِيَارٌ وَفِي الدُّرَرِ وَالْمُخْتَارُ صِحَّتُهُ بِالتَّخْلِيَةِ فِي صَحِيحِ الْهِبَةِ لَا فَاسِدِهَا وَفِي النُّتَفِ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ عَقْدًا لَا تَصِحُّ بِلَا قَبْضٍ (وَلَوْ نَهَاهُ) عَنْ الْقَبْضِ (لَمْ يَصِحَّ) قَبْضُهُ (مُطْلَقًا) وَلَوْ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ؛ لِأَنَّ الصَّرِيحَ أَقْوَى مِنْ الدَّلَالَةِ (وَتَتِمُّ) الْهِبَةُ (بِالْقَبْضِ) الْكَامِلِ (وَلَوْ الْمَوْهُوبُ شَاغِلًا لِمِلْكِ الْوَاهِبِ لَا مَشْغُولًا بِهِ) وَالْأَصْلُ أَنَّ الْمَوْهُوبَ إنْ مَشْغُولًا بِمِلْكِ الْوَاهِبِ مُنِعَ تَمَامَهَا،
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (5/ 692) وَفِي الْجَوْهَرَةِ، وَحِيلَةُ هِبَةِ الْمَشْغُولِ أَنْ يُودِعَ الشَّاغِلُ أَوَّلًا عِنْدَ الْمَوْهُوبِ لَهُ ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمُهُ الدَّارَ مَثَلًا فَتَصِحُّ لِشُغْلِهَا بِمَتَاعٍ فِي يَدِهِ
اللباب في شرح الكتاب (2/ 4) (وإذا حصل الإيجاب والقبول لزم البيع) وإن لم يقبض
Answered by:
Bint Saeed
Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel