The Inheritance of a Son with both Parents

“Once abu Ja‘far (a.s.), made me read the page of the book of ordained shares. It was according to the dictation of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and with the handwriting of Ali (a.s.). I found in it this, ’If a deceased leaves behind his daughter and mother, the share of the daughter is one- half or three shares and for the mother one-sixth. The legacy is made in four parts, of which three are for the daughter and one is for the mother/” “He (the narrator) has said, I read in it that, “If a deceased leaves behind his daughter and his father, the share of the daughter is one-half: three shares and the share of the father is one-sixth share. The legacy is made in four parts of which three are for the daughter and one is for the father.’” “Muhammad has said, T found in it that if a deceased leaves behind both parents and his daughter; the share of the daughter is one-half, three shares and the shares of parents are one-sixth for each. Such legacy can be made of five portions of which three are for the daughter and two for the parents.’”

“I found in the book of ordained shares that if a deceased leaves behind his daughter and both parents, the share of the daughter are three shares and the parents each receives one share. The legacy is made in five parts of which three are for the daughter and two for the parents, one share each.’”

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the grandfather. He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not find anyone who has spoken about it but that they have spoken out of their opinion except ’ Amir al- Mu’minin (a.s.). I then asked, T pray to Allah to keep you well, what has ’ Amir al- Mu’minin said about it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Tomorrow meet me so I can make you read it in a book.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, speak to me about it; I like your speaking more than making me read in a book.’ He (the Imam) said again, ‘Listen to what I say. Tomorrow meet me, so I will make you read in a book.’ The next day I went to see him (the Imam) after al-Zuhr (noontime) and it was the hour that I would meet him between al-Zuhr and al-‘Asr (afternoon time) and I did not like to ask him in the presence of people for fear of his answering in taqiyah (caution because of fear). When I met him (the Imam) his son Ja‘far (a.s.), came to me and he (the Imam) said to him, ‘Make Zurarah to read the book of ordained shares.’ He (the Imam) left for his siesta. Ja‘far (a.s.), and I were left in the house. He stood up and brought for me a book (which looked) like the thigh of a camel. He (Ja‘far (a.s.) ) said, ‘I will not allow you to read it until you promise before Allah that you will never tell anyone about what you will read in it until I will give permission’, and he did not say, ‘until my father gives you permission.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, why do you restrict me when your father has not commanded you to do so?’ He said, ‘You must not look in it on what is other than what I will tell you to read.’ I said, ‘That is up to you.’ I was a knowledgeable man in ordained shares of inheritance and wills and well aware of them and in calculating them. I waited for quite a long time to find something about ordained shares and wills that I did not know and can deal with. When he placed a side of the book before me, it was a thick book and one can notice that it was of the books of earlier generations. I looked in it and I found it to be different from what is commonly accepted among people, such as matters of compensation and urging others to do good things, in which there is not any difference. I found the majority of it like that until the end of it, with a filthy soul, very little memorization and defective opinion; and I said, ‘Do I (need) to read this?’ It is false. I reached its end. I closed it and returned it to him (Ja‘far (a.s.) ). The next day I met abu Ja‘far (a.s.), and he asked me, ‘Did you read the book of ordained shares?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I read it.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘How did you find what you read?’ He (the narrator) has said that he said, ‘It is false and it does not have any valid effect. It is against what people say and do.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘What you saw O Zurarah, by Allah, is the truth. What you saw is the dictation of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, in the handwriting of Ali (a.s.).’ Satan came to me with temptation in my chest and said, ‘He does not know if it is the dictation of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and the handwriting of Ali (a.s.). He (the Imam) said to me before I spoke, ‘O Zurarah, do not doubt. Satan loved to make you doubt. How it is possible that I remain ignorant of its not being the dictation of the Messenger of Allah and the handwriting of Ali (a.s.), when my father narrated to me from my grandfather ’ Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), who narrated to him about it.’ He (the narrator) has said that I said, ‘No, I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause. I regretted for not reading what I did not read of the book. Had I read it and I had known it I would hope not to miss anything thereof; not even a single letter.’ “‘Umar ibn ’Udhaynah has said, ‘I said to Zurarah that people have spoken to me from him (the Imam) and from his father, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about certain things on ordained shares. Can I present them before you so you can tell me what is false and what is true and do not narrate so I remain quiet? I narrated to him what Muhammad ibn Muslim had narrated from abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the daughter and father and about a daughter and both parents. He said that it is true. “Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan about a daughter and father has said, that the daughter receives one-half and the father receives one-sixth and the remaining is returned to them proportionate to their shares. “So also is the case if a deceased leaves behind a daughter and mother. One-half belongs to the daughter, the mother receives one-sixth, and the remaining is returned to them proportionate to their shares. Certain people have said that the remaining belongs to the daughter because she is closer than both parents are. It is a mistake totally; the parents are close by themselves as the children are, but children are not closer than parents are. The correct thing is to return the remaining to all of them proportionate to their shares. They have received their shares and as nearest relatives the remaining asset belongs to them as relatives, thus it is divided among them according to the distribution of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, among them. Allah does not cause difference in His rule and His division does not change.’ “If a deceased leaves behind one daughter and both parents then one-half belongs to the daughter and the parents receive one-sixth. The remaining is returned to them proportionate to their shares because Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has not returned to one and not to the other one. He has made a share for women just as He has made a share for men. It is equal in this obligation between mother and father. If a deceased leaves behind two daughters and both parents, the share of daughters is two- thirds and parents receive two-sixths. If a deceased leaves behind three daughters or more then the share of parents is two-sixths and the daughters receive two-thirds. If a deceased leaves behind parents and one son and one daughter, the parents receive two-sixths and the remaining is distributed among the son and daughter where the son receives twice as much as the share of the daughter.”’