Her family cut ties with her because she asked for her share of inheritance

28-4-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Dear Mufti Saheb. My father died almost 15 years back. Now, when I asked for my share in my father's property, all my family members including my mother, sisters and brothers have boycotted me and my husband and my two children. We are treated as outclass. The share in my father's property was given to me, but with a clause that they all have nothing to do with me. Sometimes, I feel like ending my life, as I have no one to turn to as my own mother, my own brothers and my own sisters have stopped talking to me, or inviting me to their houses or coming to my house. Pray that I do not commit the sin of committing the sin of suicide. Now, my question to the learned mufti saheb is the following, 1. Have I done a great sin in asking for my rightful share in inheritance of my dead father. 2. Is it lawful in Islam to boycott the person who asked for his or her share in the inheritance. 3. If it is sin to boycott, as they have boycotted me, what are the punishments from the lord Allah.

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

First of all, it is permissible in the Islamic Law for you to ask for your share of the inheritance. The wealth that a deceased person leaves behind is the right of all the heirs, the males and the females; Allaah says (what means): {For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much — an obligatory share.}[Quran 4:7] Sa’eed ibn Jubayr and Qataadah said: “The Mushriks (polytheists) used to give the inheritance to the adult men only, and they did not allow women and children to inherit anything at all, so Allaah revealed this verse.” [End of quote]

Therefore, it is not permissible to prevent the females from their legal share in the inheritance. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 93801.

Hence, your family has no right to prevent you from the inheritance or to cut relations with you because you asked for your share in it, as this is severance of ties of kinship which is one of the grave major sins. It is an Islamic obligation to keep ties with one's family. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 88129 and 84358.

Indeed, there is a severe threat for cutting ties of kinship. In an authentic Hadeeth, whoever severs ties with kinship, Allaah cuts ties with him.

Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said in his book Az-Zawaajir: “The person who cuts ties with kinship does not enter Paradise, and there is no sin more likely to bring punishment [i.e. in this worldly life] upon him than the sin of cutting ties with his kinship, and his actions are not accepted.”

Not accepting the deeds of the one who severs ties is explicitly mentioned in a Hadeeth reported by Ahmad in his Musnad, and Al-Arna’oot classified it as Hasan (good), and its wording is as follows: the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “The deeds of the children of Aadam are presented every Thursday night, and the deeds of a person who severs ties with kinship are not accepted.”

Finally, we advise you to be patient with them and supplicate Allaah to reconcile between you. You may also seek the help of some trustworthy people to make reconciliation efforts.

As regards suicide, you must flee from it not flee to it, as it is a calamity and a greater misery. It is not a solution for the problem at all, as the devil may suggest to some people. To learn about the grave danger of suicide, please refer to Fataawa 22853, 84296 and 81819.

Allaah Knows best.

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