Hadith 2733

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ، قَالَا : حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْأَصْبَهَانِيِّ ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدِ بْنِ وَرْدَانَ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ، أَنَّ مَوْلًى لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَعَ مِنْ نَخْلَةٍ فَمَاتَ وَتَرَكَ مَالًا وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ وَلَدًا وَلَا حَمِيمًا ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " أَعْطُوا مِيرَاثَهُ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَهْلِ قَرْيَتِهِ " .
´It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the freed slave of the Prophet (ﷺ) fell from a palm tree and died. He left behind wealth but he had no child or close relative. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:` “Give his legacy to a man from his village.”
Hadith Reference سنن ابن ماجه / كتاب الفرائض / 2733
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: حسن
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Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The rightful inheritor of this person's estate was, in fact, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself, but he did not wish to take the wealth and instead ordered that it be given as charity to a deserving person from that locality.

➋ The wealth of one who has no heirs is deposited into the Bayt al-Mal (public treasury), which is then used for works that benefit all Muslims.

➌ In the absence of an organized Bayt al-Mal, the inheritance of one who has no heirs may be given to the people of his locality.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 2733
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
Since the slave’s wealth was to go to the public treasury (bayt al-mal), and from the public treasury, it is spent on the welfare of the Muslim subjects, therefore the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) instructed that it be given to someone from among the people of his village.
Because there is, by nature, a certain connection among the people of a village.
However, the glare of modern enlightenment and material progress has, especially in large cities, eradicated these relationships.
May Allah protect us (al-‘iyadhu billah).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2902