❖ Bequest Should Not Exceed One-Third of the Wealth
By: Imran Ayub Lahori
✿ Limiting Bequests to One-Third of the Estate
The Prophet ﷺ said to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (رضي الله عنه):
الثلث والثلث كثير
“Bequeath one-third, and even one-third is much.”
[Bukhari: 2742, Kitab al-Wasaya: Chapter on Leaving One’s Heirs Wealthy is Better than Leaving Them Dependent, Muslim: 3076]
Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said:
I prefer that people reduce their bequests from one-third to one-fourth, because the Prophet ﷺ even regarded one-third as excessive.
[Ahmad: 2029, 2076; Bayhaqi: 6/269; Ahkam al-Jana’iz by al-Albani, p. 14]
