Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh

رَوَى اِبْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَلرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ عَنِ اَلْقَوْمِ يَغْرَقُونَ فِي اَلسَّفِينَةِ أَوْ يَقَعُ عَلَيْهِمُ اَلْبَيْتُ فَيَمُوتُونَ وَ لاَ يُعْلَمُ أَيُّهُمْ مَاتَ قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ قَالَ "يُوَرَّثُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ"

Ibn Mahbub narrated from Abdur Rahman who said: I asked Abu Abdullah (a.s) about a group of people who drown in a ship or a house collapses on them, causing their death, and it is not known who among them died first. Imam (a.s) said: "They inherit from one another."

وَ كَذَا هُوَ فِي كِتَابِ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ.

This ruling is also recorded in the Book of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s).

وَ رَوَى عَلِيُّ بْنُ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنْ فَضَالَةَ عَنْ أَبَانٍ عَنِ اَلْفَضْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اَلْمَلِكِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: فِي اِمْرَأَةٍ وَ زَوْجِهَا سَقَطَ عَلَيْهِمَا بَيْتٌ قَالَ "تُوَرَّثُ اَلْمَرْأَةُ مِنَ اَلرَّجُلِ ثُمَّ يُوَرَّثُ اَلرَّجُلُ مِنَ اَلْمَرْأَةِ".

Ali ibn Mahziyar narrated from Fadalah, from Aban, from Al-Fadl ibn Abdul Malik, from Abu Abdullah (a.s) regarding a woman and her husband upon whom a house collapsed. Imam (a.s) said: "The woman inherits from the man, and then the man inherits from the woman."

وَ رَوَى عَاصِمُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: "قَضَى أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فِي رَجُلٍ وَ اِمْرَأَةٍ اِنْهَدَمَ عَلَيْهِمَا بَيْتٌ فَقَتَلَهُمَا وَ لاَ يُدْرَى أَيُّهُمَا مَاتَ قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ فَقَالَ "يُوَرَّثُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مِنْ زَوْجِهِ كَمَا فَرَضَ اَللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِوَرَثَتِهِمَا" ".

Asim ibn Humeid narrated from Muhammad ibn Qays, from Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (a.s), who said: "The Commander of the Faithful (a.s) ruled regarding a man and a woman upon whom a house collapsed, causing their death, and it was not known which of them died first. Imam (a.s) said: 'Each of them inherits from their spouse according to what Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic, has prescribed for their heirs.'"

وَ رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَلرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ بَيْتٍ وَقَعَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ مُجْتَمِعِينَ فَلاَ يُدْرَى أَيُّهُمْ مَاتَ قَبْلَ صَاحِبِهِ قَالَ "يُوَرَّثُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ" قُلْتُ إِنَّ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ أَدْخَلَ فِيهَا قَالَ "وَ مَا أَدْخَلَ فِيهَا" قُلْتُ قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ لِأَحَدِهِمَا مِائَةُ أَلْفٍ وَ اَلْآخَرُ لَيْسَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ وَ كَانَا فِي سَفِينَةٍ فَغَرِقَا وَ لَمْ يُدْرَ أَيُّهُمَا مَاتَ أَوَّلاً كَانَ اَلْمِيرَاثُ لِوَرَثَةِ اَلَّذِي لَيْسَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِوَرَثَةِ اَلَّذِي لَهُ اَلْمَالُ شَيْءٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ "لَقَدْ سَمِعَهَا وَ هُوَ هَكَذَا".

Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr narrated from Abdur Rahman, from Abu Abdullah (a.s), who said: I asked Imam (a.s) about a house that collapsed on a group of people gathered together, and it was not known who among them died first. Imam (a.s) said: "They inherit from one another." I said: "Abu Hanifah has given a different ruling regarding this." Imam (a.s) asked: "And what did he say?" I replied: "He said that if two men were on a ship, one of whom had one hundred thousand (in wealth) and the other had nothing, and the ship sank, and it was not known which of them died first, the inheritance would go to the heirs of the one who had nothing, and the heirs of the wealthy one would receive nothing." Abu Abdullah (a.s) said: "Indeed, he has heard it, and it is exactly as it should be."

قَالَ مُصَنِّفُ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَ ذَلِكَ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمَا وَارِثٌ غَيْرُهُمَا وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مِنْ صَاحِبِهِ.

The author of this book, may Allah (swt) have mercy on him, said: This ruling applies when neither of them has any heir other than each other and when no one else is closer to either of them than the other.

وَ رَوَى حَمَّادُ بْنُ عِيسَى عَنِ اَلْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ اَلْمُخْتَارِ قَالَ: دَخَلَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ "مَا تَقُولُ فِي بَيْتٍ سَقَطَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ فَبَقِيَ مِنْهُمْ صَبِيَّانِ أَحَدُهُمَا حُرٌّ وَ اَلْآخَرُ مَمْلُوكٌ لِصَاحِبِهِ فَلَمْ يُعْرَفِ اَلْحُرُّ مِنَ اَلْمَمْلُوكِ" فَقَالَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ يُعْتَقُ نِصْفُ هَذَا وَ نِصْفُ هَذَا وَ يُقْسَمُ اَلْمَالُ بَيْنَهُمَا نِصْفَانِ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ "لَيْسَ كَذَلِكَ لَكِنَّهُ يُقْرَعُ بَيْنَهُمَا فَمَنْ أَصَابَتْهُ اَلْقُرْعَةُ فَهُوَ اَلْحُرُّ وَ يُعْتَقُ هَذَا فَيُجْعَلُ مَوْلًى لَهُ".

Hammad ibn Isa narrated from Al-Husayn ibn Al-Mukhtar, who said: Abu Hanifah entered upon Abu Abdullah (a.s), and Abu Abdullah (a.s) asked him: "What do you say about a house that collapsed on a group of people, leaving behind two boys - one of them is free and the other is a slave belonging to the free one - but it is not known which is the free one and which is the slave?" Abu Hanifah replied: "Half of this one and half of that one should be freed, and the wealth should be divided equally between them." Abu Abdullah (a.s) said: "It is not so. Rather, a draw (lot) should be cast between them, and the one upon whom the lot falls is the free one, and the other is freed and made his client (mawla)."