Fatwa ID: 09175
Answered by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
I would like to ask a question regarding a matter of inheritance and a gifted property.
My grandfather had 10 children in total: 8 sons and 2 daughters. Out of the 8 sons, 2 sons passed away during the lifetime of my grandfather.
Later, my grandfather called the remaining 6 sons and informed them that he wanted to gift (Hiba) a piece of his land to the children of his deceased son. At that time, two of the brothers objected to this decision. However, despite their objection, my grandfather still decided to give this land to us during his lifetime as a gift.
After that, the land was handed over to us and remained in our possession. It has now been about 20 years that the land has been under our control and possession, and we have been maintaining and taking care of it during all this time.
Now the same 6 sons (the children of my grandfather) are trying to take the land back from us, claiming that they had refused to give the land at that time.
My questions are:
- According to Islamic law, do those brothers still have any right over this land?
- Considering that our grandfather gifted the land to us during his lifetime and we have had possession of it for the past 20 years, is their claim valid?
- Can this gift (Hiba) be challenged after such a long period?
Kindly guide us according to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.
Jazakum Allahu Khair.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Gifts given during the deceased’s lifetime in a valid manner are completely within the ownership of the giftee, and so they are not included in the inheritance of the deceased or in any matters of the deceased’s wealth.[1] Since the gift in question was land, the land must have been vacated by the deceased and handed over to your possession during the deceased’s life for the gifting to be valid. [1]
Assuming that the gifting of the land was valid, the answers to your questions are thus:
1) The brothers have no right over the gifted land.
2) Their claim is not valid.
3) The gift cannot be challenged.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
وَتَتِمُّ) الْهِبَةُ (بِالْقَبْضِ) الْكَامِلِ
…
(قَوْلُهُ: بِالْقَبْضِ) فَيُشْتَرَطُ الْقَبْضُ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ، وَلَوْ كَانَتْ فِي مَرَضِ الْمَوْتِ لِلْأَجْنَبِيِّ كَمَا سَبَقَ فِي كِتَابِ الْوَقْفِ كَذَا فِي الْهَامِشِ (قَوْلُهُ: بِالْقَبْضِ الْكَامِلِ) وَكَّلَ الْمَوْهُوبُ لَهُ رَجُلَيْنِ بِقَبْضِ الدَّارِ فَقَبَضَاهَا جَازَ خَانِيَّةٌ (قَوْلُهُ مُنِعَ تَمَامَهَا) إذْ الْقَبْضُ شَرْطٌ فُصُولَيْنِ، وَكَلَامُ الزَّيْلَعِيِّ يُعْطِي أَنَّ هِبَةَ الْمَشْغُولِ فَاسِدَةٌ وَاَلَّذِي فِي الْعِمَادِيَّةِ أَنَّهَا غَيْرُ تَامَّةٍ قَالَ الْحَمَوِيُّ فِي حَاشِيَةِ الْأَشْبَاهِ: فَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّ فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ رِوَايَتَيْنِ كَمَا وَقَعَ الِاخْتِلَافُ فِي هِبَةِ الْمَشَاعِ الْمُحْتَمِلِ لِلْقِسْمَةِ، هَلْ هِيَ فَاسِدَةٌ أَوْ غَيْرُ تَامَّةٍ؟ وَالْأَصَحُّ كَمَا فِي الْبِنَايَةِ أَنَّهَا غَيْرُ تَامَّةٍ، فَكَذَلِكَ هُنَا كَذَا بِخَطِّ شَيْخِنَا وَمِنْهُ يُعْلَمُ مَا وَقَعَتْ الْإِشَارَةُ إلَيْهِ فِي الدُّرِّ الْمُخْتَارِ، فَأَشَارَ إلَى أَحَدِ الْقَوْلَيْنِ بِمَا ذَكَرَهُ أَوَّلًا مِنْ عَدَمِ التَّمَامِ، وَإِلَى الثَّانِي مِمَّا ذَكَرَهُ آخِرًا مِنْ عَدَمِ الصِّحَّةِ فَتَدَبَّرْ أَبُو السُّعُودِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.690
لَا يَتِمُّ التَّبَرُّعُ إِلَّا بِالْقَبْضِ
فَإِذَا وَهَبَ أَحَدٌ شَيْئاً لِآَخَرٍ لَا تَتِمُّ الْهِبَةُ قَبْلَ الْقَبْضِ ، وَكَذَا الْهِدِيَّةُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِك ، فَلَا بُدَّ مِنَ الْقَبْضِ حَتَّى يَتِمُّ التَّبَرُّع ، وَلَوْ رَجَعَ الْوَاهِبُ قَبْلَ الْقَبْضِ لَمْ تُلْزِمْ اَلْهِبَةُ وَلَهُ ذَلِك ، وَلَوْ تُوُفِّيَ الْوَاهِبُ أَوِ الْمَوْهُوْبُ لَهُ بَطَلَتِ الْهِبَةُ
Al-Qawaaid Al-Fiqhiyyah (Daar Al-Tirmidy ed.) p.89-90