How much of his wealth a man may bequeath

Amir bin Sa'd reported that Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once I became so ill that I was close to death. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit me, and I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I have a great deal of wealth, and I have no heir except one daughter. May I give two-thirds of my wealth in charity?" He said: "No!" I said: "Then may I give half of my wealth in charity?" He said: "No!" I said: "And one third?" He said: "One third, and one third is a lot."

Urwah said that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I wish that people would come down from one third to making bequests of one quarter of their wealth, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One third is a lot."

Urwah said that Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) made a bequest of one third of his wealth.

Nafi' reported that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A bequest of one third of one's wealth was mentioned in the presence of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "One third is a middle amount, neither too little nor too much."

Makhul reported that Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Allah Almighty, by granting you one third of your wealth, has made an addition to your lives." By this he meant the bequest.

Khalid bin Abi Azzah said that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I take from my wealth as much as Allah Almighty has taken from the fay' wealth." Then he made a bequest of one fifth of his wealth.

Al-Dahhak said that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made bequests of one fifth of their wealth.

Bakr said that Humayd bin Abd al-Rahman said: "I do not accept the bequest of a man who has made a bequest of one third of his wealth while having children."

Muhammad reported that Shurayh said: "One third of one's wealth is the utmost limit, and a bequest of it is permissible."

Yazid bin al-Shikhkhir said that Mutarrif used to consider a bequest of one fifth of one's wealth to be good.

Al-A'mash reported that Ibrahim said: The scholars used to say that a man who makes a bequest of one fifth of his wealth is better than one who makes a bequest of one quarter, and one who makes a bequest of one quarter of his wealth is more virtuous than one who makes a bequest of one third.

Isma'il reported that al-Sha'bi said: In earlier times people would make bequests of one fifth or one quarter of their wealth, and one third is the utmost limit for the rash person.

In the narration of Ibn Numayr it is: "One third is the utmost limit of rashness."

Al-Harith reported that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "That I make a bequest of one fifth of my wealth is dearer to me than that I make a bequest of one quarter, and a bequest of one quarter of my wealth is dearer to me than a bequest of one third. And whoever made a bequest left nothing for his heirs."

Abu Ammar reported that Amr bin Shurahbil said: "A bequest of one third of one's wealth is an injustice, and a bequest of one quarter of one's wealth is also an injustice."

Malik bin al-Harith said that Sayyiduna al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "A bequest of one quarter is an injustice, and a bequest of one third of one's wealth is an injustice."

Mansur reported that Ibrahim said: It used to be said that for a bequest to be of one sixth is better than for it to be of one third.

Ata reported that Abu Abd al-Rahman said: The scholars used to consider it good that a man should leave some of the one third of his wealth for his heirs.