Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say that it is astonishing that a paternal aunt's nephew becomes an heir, but a nephew's paternal aunt does not become an heir.
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ سُئِلْتَ عَنْهُ مِنْ مِيرَاثِ الْعَصَبَةِ فَإِنَّهُ عَلَى نَحْوِ هَذَا : انْسُبِ الْمُتَوَفَّى وَمَنْ يُنَازِعُ فِي وِلَايَتِهِ مِنْ عَصَبَتِهِ. فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ يَلْقَى الْمُتَوَفَّى إِلَى أَبٍ لَا يَلْقَاهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى أَبٍ دُونَهُ. فَاجْعَلْ مِيرَاثَهُ لِلَّذِي يَلْقَاهُ إِلَى الْأَبِ الْأَدْنَى، دُونَ مَنْ يَلْقَاهُ إِلَى فَوْقِ ذَلِكَ. فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَهُمْ كُلَّهُمْ يَلْقَوْنَهُ إِلَى أَبٍ وَاحِدٍ يَجْمَعُهُمْ جَمِيعًا، فَانْظُرْ أَقْعَدَهُمْ فِي النَّسَبِ. فَإِنْ كَانَ ابْنَ أَبٍ فَقَطْ، فَاجْعَلِ الْمِيرَاثَ لَهُ دُونَ الْأَطْرَافِ. وَإِنْ كَانَ ابْنَ أَبٍ وَأُمٍّ. وَإِنْ وَجَدْتَهُمْ مُسْتَوِينَ، يَنْتَسِبُونَ مِنْ عَدَدِ الْآبَاءِ إِلَى عَدَدٍ وَاحِدٍ. حَتَّى يَلْقَوْا نَسَبَ الْمُتَوَفَّى جَمِيعًا، وَكَانُوا كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا بَنِي أَبٍ، أَوْ بَنِي أَبٍ وَأُمٍّ. فَاجْعَلِ الْمِيرَاثَ بَيْنَهُمْ سَوَاءً. وَإِنْ كَانَ وَالِدُ بَعْضِهِمْ أَخَا وَالِدِ الْمُتَوَفَّى لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. وَكَانَ مَنْ سِوَاهُ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ أَخُو أَبِي الْمُتَوَفَّى لِأَبِيهِ فَقَطْ، فَإِنَّ الْمِيرَاثَ لِبَنِي أَخِي الْمُتَوَفَّى لِأَبِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ، دُونَ بَنِي الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ. وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَالَ : ﴿وَأُولُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللّٰهِ، إِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾. ¤
Imam Malik said: The rule regarding this is that all the male agnates present should be related to the deceased, that is, what is their relation to the deceased(1). Whoever among them meets the deceased through such a father in whom no one else meets the deceased through a closer father, then only he will inherit, not those who meet through a more distant father(2). If several of them are joined to the deceased through the same father, then it will be seen whose relationship is closer; even if the closer one is a half-brother, he will inherit, and even if the more distant one is a full brother, he will not inherit(3). And if all are equal in relationship and all are full brothers, or all are half-brothers, then they will share equally in the inheritance. If among them, some of their fathers are full brothers of the deceased’s father and some of their fathers are half-brothers of the deceased’s father, then the inheritance will go to the children of the full brother, not to the children of the half-brother, because Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, says: “Those who are related by blood are closer to one another in the Book of Allah. Allah knows best.”
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : وَالْجَدُّ أَبُو الْأَبِ أَوْلَى، مِنْ بَنِي الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، وَأَوْلَى مِنَ الْعَمِّ أَخِي الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ بِالْمِيرَاثِ. وَابْنُ الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، أَوْلَى مِنَ الْجَدِّ بِوَلَاءِ الْمَوَالِي.
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that the grandfather has precedence over nephews and also over the uncle, and the nephew, who is the son of a real brother, has precedence over the grandfather in taking wala'.
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : الْأَمْرُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا، الَّذِي لَا اخْتِلَافَ فِيهِ، وَالَّذِي أَدْرَكْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ بِبَلَدِنَا، أَنَّ ابْنَ الْأَخِ لِلْأُمِّ، وَالْجَدَّ أَبَا الْأُمِّ، وَالْعَمَّ أَخَا الْأَبِ لِلْأُمِّ، وَالْخَالَ، وَالْجَدَّةَ أُمَّ أَبِي الْأُمِّ، وَابْنَةَ الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، وَالْعَمَّةَ، وَالْخَالَةَ، لَا يَرِثُونَ بِأَرْحَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا. ¤
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In our view, this ruling is agreed upon that the son of a uterine brother, the maternal grandfather, the uterine brother of the father, the maternal uncle, the mother of the maternal grandfather, the sons of a full brother, the paternal aunt, and the maternal aunt will not be heirs.
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : وَإِنَّهُ لَا تَرِثُ امْرَأَةٌ، هِيَ أَبْعَدُ نَسَبًا مِنَ الْمُتَوَفَّى، مِمَّنْ سُمِّيَ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ، بِرَحِمِهَا شَيْئًا. وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَرِثُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ شَيْئًا. إِلَّا حَيْثُ سُمِّينَ. وَإِنَّمَا ذَكَرَ اللّٰهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ. مِيرَاثَ الْأُمِّ مِنْ وَلَدِهَا، وَمِيرَاثَ الْبَنَاتِ مِنْ أَبِيهِنَّ، وَمِيرَاثَ الزَّوْجَةِ مِنْ زَوْجِهَا، وَمِيرَاثَ الْأَخَوَاتِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، وَمِيرَاثَ الْأَخَوَاتِ لِلْأَبِ، وَمِيرَاثَ الْأَخَوَاتِ لِلْأُمِّ، وَوَرِثَتِ الْجَدَّةُ بِالَّذِي جَاءَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيهَا، وَالْمَرْأَةُ تَرِثُ مَنْ أَعْتَقَتْ هِيَ نَفْسُهَا. لِأَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَالَ فِي كِتَابِهِ : ﴿فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ﴾ [الأحزاب: 5].
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said that a woman who is from a distant relation among these women will not inherit, and among women, no one is an heir except those whom Allah, Glorious and Exalted is He, has mentioned in His Book; she is the mother, the daughter, the wife, the full sister, the half-sister (from the father’s side), and the half-sister (from the mother’s side). The inheritance of the maternal grandmother is established from the hadith. Similarly, a woman will inherit from her slave whom she sets free.
قَالَ مَالِكٌ : الْأَمْرُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا، الَّذِي لَا اخْتِلَافَ فِيهِ، وَالَّذِي أَدْرَكْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلَ الْعِلْمِ بِبَلَدِنَا، فِي وِلَايَةِ الْعَصَبَةِ، أَنَّ الْأَخَ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، أَوْلَى بِالْمِيرَاثِ مِنَ الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ. وَالْأَخُ لِلْأَبِ، أَوْلَى بِالْمِيرَاثِ مِنْ بَنِي الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. وَبَنُو الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، أَوْلَى مِنْ بَنِي الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ. وَبَنُو الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ، أَوْلَى مِنْ بَنِي ابْنِ الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. وَبَنُو ابْنِ الْأَخِ لِلْأَبِ، أَوْلَى مِنَ الْعَمِّ أَخِي الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. وَالْعَمُّ أَخُو الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ، أَوْلَى مِنَ الْعَمِّ أَخِي الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ. وَالْعَمُّ أَخُو الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ، أَوْلَى مِنْ بَنِي الْعَمِّ أَخِي الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. وَابْنُ الْعَمِّ لِلْأَبِ، أَوْلَى مِنْ عَمِّ الْأَبِ أَخِي أَبِي الْأَبِ لِلْأَبِ وَالْأُمِّ. ¤
Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, said: In our view, there is no difference of opinion in this matter, and we found the people of our city upon this: that the full brother is given precedence over the half-brother, and the half-brother is given precedence over the son of the full brother, and the son of the full brother is given precedence over the son of the half-brother, and the son of the half-brother is given precedence over the grandson of the full brother, and the son of the half-brother is given precedence over the paternal uncle, and the full paternal uncle is given precedence over the half-paternal uncle (who is the father’s half-brother), and the half-paternal uncle is given precedence over the sons of the full paternal uncle, and the sons of the half-paternal uncle are given precedence over the great-uncle (who is the grandfather’s full brother).