2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthaman who has narrated the following: “A man made a will about thirty dinars for the children of Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam. Another man brought it to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), who told him to give it to so and so old man of the descendents of Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam, who has a family to feed and is poor. The man said, ‘The man has a will for the children of Fatimah.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘It will not be appropriate by giving to the children of Fatimah, ‘Alayha al-Salam. It will be appropriate to give it to this man who has a family to feed.’”

3. Abu Ali al-Ash ‘ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Ali ibn Mahziyar from Ahmad ibn Hamzah who has narrated the following: “I once said to him (the Imam) (a.s.), ‘In our land people may make a will for Ale Muhammad (SAW). They ask me to deliver it to you and I dislike carrying it to you before asking for your instructions.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not carry them to me and do not bother about it.’”

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated in a marfu‘ the following: “‘A’immah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said, ‘If one makes a will about one-third of his legacy it is counted as his Zakat.’”

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfaliy from al-Sakuniy who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that about the case of a man who at the time of his death states that either one of so and so and so and so has one thousand dirham with me then he dies in such condition, ’Amir al-Mu’minin, has issued the following decree. ‘Whoever presents testimony can receive the asset but if no one of them can present testimony they divide it half and half.’”

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Harun ibn Muslim from Mas’adah ibn Sadaqah who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘One who maintains justice in his will is like one who has given in charity in his lifetime and one who is unjust in his will he, on the Day of Judgment, will come before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, who will shun him.’”

7. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Rayyan who has narrated the following: “I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), and asked him about a man who makes a will but the executor of the will executes only one item of it. What must he do about the other items? He (the Imam) signed the answer that said, ‘He can spend the other chapters (items) in good causes.’”

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn Mahziyar from certain persons of our people who have said the following: “I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ‘I have made a piece of land an endowment for my children, for al-Hajj and for the ways and aspects of virtuous matters. There is your right after me and for the one after you and I have moved it from that course.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is lawful for you and you have the permission to do so.’” (It perhaps refers to the case before handing it over to endowment.)

9. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd m Ja‘far ibn ‘Isa who has narrated the following: “I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man who made a will about a part of the one-third of his legacy after his death from the income of a certain asset that belonged to him. He instructed the executor of his will to spend half of it for the causes he mentioned every year and with the rest of the one-third he can do whatever he wanted. The executor of the will executed what the deceased wanted about the known causes. About the remaining he said that he has given it to so and so and so and so every year, for al-Hajj such and such amount, and for charity such and such amount every year. He then decided to change all of such causes. He said that he has decided to spend for causes other than those he wanted before; if he can do such changes and alterations of such nature reducing and including other causes if he wanted. He (the Imam) wrote the answer that said, ‘He can do whatever he wants except if he has written upon himself for doing certain things.’”

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan [ibn Ibrahim] ibn Muhammad al-Hamadaniy who has narrated the following: “Once, Muhammad ibn Yahya wrote (to the Imam), ‘Is it lawful for an executor of the will to buy something from the assets of the deceased as the highest bidder? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is permissible if he buys it in an undamaged condition.’”

11. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from abu Ali ibn Rashid who has narrated the following: “I once said to Sahib al- ‘Askar (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, something is brought to us and it is said “This is what was for abu Ja’far (a.s.).” How must we deal with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever was for abu Ja‘far because of Imamat (leadership with divine authority), it belongs to me, and whatever is because of other reasons, it then is legacy according to the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause.’”

12. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from al-Husayn ibn Malik who has narrated the following: “I once wrote to him (the Imam) (a.s.), ‘A man has died who in his lifetime had made everything that he had for you and he did not have any children, thereafter a child was born to him and his assets are three thousand dirham. He has sent to you one thousand dirham. I like to know your decision in the matter so I can follow.’ He (the Imam) (a.s.), wrote the answer that said, ‘I leave it for them.’”

13. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Ja‘far from al-Husayn ibn Malik who has narrated the following: “I once wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), saying, ’My master, I inform you that the son of my brother has died and has made a will about a certain piece of property for you. He in his will has said that everything in his house must be given, even the pegs must be sold and the price sent to my master. He has made a will for al-Hajj. He has made a will for the poor of his family, for his aunt, for his sister to receive a certain amount of property and I have considered it to be more than one-third, perhaps about one-half of his legacy, and he has left behind a son who is three years old. He has left debts to pay. I want to know your opinion, my master, in the matter.’ He (the Imam) signed the answer that said, ‘His will must be limited within one-third of his legacy and it will be divided among the beneficiaries proportionate to each one’s share.’”

14. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Sa‘d ibn ’Isma‘il from his father who has narrated the following: “I once asked al-Rida’ (a.s.), about the case of a man who at the time of his death made a will to his son and two brothers. The son was present at the time of his making the will but not the brothers. After several days they refused to accept acting as executors of the will for fear from the son and that, they may not be able to work, as they should. A son of an uncle guaranteed their safety when working with the son and with such condition they began the work but the son did not cooperate and they said that they are not responsible for the will. They want to leave it alone and must not be held obligated for anything. Is it permissible for them to leave whatever is in their hand and move out of the task? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is necessary for you to be kind in whatever way you can because you will receive the reward. Perhaps that is to arrive on his son.’”

15. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ash‘ariy from Mu‘alla’ ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ Ahmad Muhammad ibn Yahya from Wasiy of Ali ibn al-Sariy who has narrated the following: “I once said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), that Ali ibn al-Sariy has died and has made a will to me. He (the Imam) said, ‘May Allah grant him mercy.’ I then said that his son, Ja‘far ibn Ali, has fallen on a mother of his child. He has instructed me not to allow him receive anything from the legacy. He (the narrator) has said that he (the Imam) said, ‘Do not give him anything from the legacy. If what you say is true, he will soon be affected by confusion.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I returned and he took me before abu Yusuf, the judge and said to him, “May Allah keep you well, I am Ja‘far son of Ali ibn al-Sariy and this is the executor of the will of my father. Please command him to give to me legacy of my father.” Abu Yusuf, the judge said to me, “What do you say?” I said to him, “Yes, this is Ja‘far ibn Ali al-Sariy and I am the executor of the will of Ali ibn al-Sariy.” He said, “Give him his inheritance.” I said, “I like to speak to you.” He said, “Come close.” I went close to him so that no one could hear my words and said to him, “This has fallen on the mother of the child of his father. His father made a will not to give him anything from the legacy. I asked Musa ibn abu Ja‘far (a.s.), in al-Madinah, informed him about it and asked him. He (the Imam) instructed me not to allow him to receive any inheritance.” He said, “Allah, abu al-Hassan, has commanded you?” He (the narrator) has said that I said, “Yes, he (the Imam) has commanded me to do so.” He (the judge) made me to swear three times then he said, “Execute what abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has commanded to do because the word is his words.”’ The executor of the will has said, ‘He became confused thereafter.’ Abu Muhammad al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ has said, ‘I saw him afterward and he had become confused.’”

16. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj from Khalid ibn Bukayr al- Tawil who has narrated the following: “My father called me at the time of his death and said, ‘Son, take the assets of your small brothers and use them in business. Take half of the profit and give them the other half and you will not be held responsible.’ A mother of the child of my father took me, after the death of my father, before ibn abu Layla’ and said to him, ‘This person eats the property of my children.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then told my story that my father had commanded me to do.’ Ibn abu Layla’ said, ‘If your father commanded you to do what is unlawful, I cannot allow it.’ Ibn abu Layla’ appointed a witness (to bear testimony) that if I moved it I will be held responsible. I then visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), later and told my story, then asked about his opinion. He (the Imam) said, ‘I cannot reject the words of ibn abu Layla’, however, between you and Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, you are not responsible.’”

17. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Ammar ibn Marwan who has narrated the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘My father was about to die and he was told to make a will.’ He said, ‘This is my son, meaning, ‘Umar. Whatever he does is permissible.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said to him, ‘Your father has made a will and has made it concise.’ I said, ‘He has designated for you such and such amount.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can execute it.’ I then said that he made a will to free a believing well-informed slave but when we freed it was found out that the slave was born out of wedlock.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is sufficient. It is like one who buys an animal for sacrificial offering thinking that it is healthy, but finds it out to be skinnier but it is sufficient to meet the legal requirement.’”

18. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfaliy from al-Sakuniy who has narrated the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ‘If one makes a will without being unjust and harming anyone it is like giving it as charity in his lifetime.”

19. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ali ibn al-Hassan from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Yusuf from Muthanna’ ibn al-Walid from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has narrated the following: “Once abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about the case of a man who made a will about certain assets for his son and gave him permission at the time of his death to use the assets in business and share the profit. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful because his father gave permission when he was living.’”

20. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Salih ibn Razin from ibn ‘Ushaym who has narrated the following: “This is about the case of a people’s slave who has permission for doing business. A man gives him one thousand dirham to buy a slave and set him free on his behalf, perform al-Hajj on his behalf with the remainder of the asset. The owner of one thousand dirham dies and the slave buys his father, sets him free on behalf of the deceased, and gives the remaining asset to him to perform al-Hajj for the deceased, which he performs for him. However, then the masters of his father, his own masters and the heirs of the deceased learn about it who all dispute about the one thousand dirham, for which the masters of slave say, ‘You have bought your father with our funds.’ The masters of his father says, ‘You have bought your father with our funds.’ The heirs of the deceased say, ‘You have bought your father with our funds.’ Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Al-Hajj is completed and it does not return, but the freed slave goes back to slavery of the masters of his father and whichever of the two group presents testimony that the slave has bought his father with their funds, he becomes their slave.’”

21. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Najran and others from “Asem ibn Humayd from Muhammad ibn Qays who has narrated the following: “I once said to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), that a man made a will to another man about his assets, one-third or one-fourth of his legacy, and then the testator is killed mistakenly. He (the Imam) said, ‘Funds must be kept aside for this will from his legacy and the wergild.’”

22. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Yahya who has said that narrated to him Mu‘awiyah ibn ‘Ammar the following: “Mufaddal ibn Ghiyath’s sister died and she had made a will that said, ‘One-third must be given in the way of Allah, one-third to the destitute and one-third for al-Hajj.’ It was not enough for what she had asked. He and I went to ibn abu Layla’ and told him the story. He said, ‘Give one-third to this, one- third to this and one-third to this.’ Then we went to ibn Shubramah. He also said what ibn abu Layla’ had said. We then went to abu Hanifah who also said what the other two had said. We then left for Makkah and he asked me to ask abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about it - she had not performed al- Hajj. I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about it and he (the Imam) said, ‘Begin with al-Hajj because it is obligatory from Allah on her, and of the remaining, give something to this and something to that.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I moved toward the Masjid and I came face to face with abu Hanifah. I said to him, ‘I asked Ja‘far ibn Muhammad about the issue that I had asked you before and he said, “Begin with al-Hajj because it is obligatory on her from Allah and of the remaining give something to this and something to that.’” He, by Allah, did not say anything to me good or bad. I then went to his circle where this issue was being discussed, and they said, ‘Abu Hanifah says that in such case you must begin with al-Hajj because it is obligatory on her from Allah.’ I then said to them, ‘By Allah this issue was so and so.’ They said, ‘He has told us this.’”

23. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Sa‘d ibn ’Isma‘ii ibn ai-Ahwas from his father who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man whose death approaches him on a journey. He gives his assets to a man of the merchants saying, ‘This asset belongs to so and so son of so and so. Nothing of it, little or more, belongs to me. You must give it to him, he will place it as he wants’; and he dies, but his friend to whom he has sent the asset does not know anything, there is no instruction and the friend does not know why he has done so. How must he deal with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He can spend it as he likes when he has not received any instructions.’”

24. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith who has narrated the following: “A man made a will to another man to give his relatives from his asset (land) such and such Jarib (a certain unit of measurement) of food. Many years passed but there was no extra in his asset; instead he needed to borrow and arrange for al-‘Aynah on the beneficiary of the will. Is it necessary to arrange a loan and al- ‘Aynah for the beneficiary so that when in future there is a gain it is compensated for what he borrowed for them during the past years? He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not mind if he gives them or takes then pays off.’” (al-‘ Aynah: merchandise sold on credit is purchased back for cash at a lower price called ( ‘Aynah), see details in Volume Five, Chapter 88)

25. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith who has narrated the following: “A man has made a will which requires giving a certain amount to his relative. The heir becomes mature and tells the executor of the will to separate from the land an area that can meet the required amount by the will and that portion must not be included in what the heirs distribute among themselves. How must the executor of the will do?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, that (suggestion of the heirs) is proper.’”

26. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from ‘Abd al-’Aziz ibn al-Muhtadiy [from his grandfather] from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan from Sa‘d ibn Sa‘d who has narrated the following: “I once asked him [abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.) ] about the case of a man who has a son, whom he called his son then denied and removed him from the list of his heirs, and I am the executor of the will. What must I do? He, al-Rida’ ‘Alayhi al-Salam, said, ‘He is considered his son because of his confession in public. The executor of the will cannot remove him from anything that he knows.’”

27. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ‘Abd Allah ibn Jabalah from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has a certain amount of dinars with me and he is ill. He said to me that if something happens to him I must then give twenty dinar to so and so and the remaining to his brother. He died and I was not present at the time of his death. A truthful Muslim came to me saying that he is commanded to tell me to keep the dinars that were to be given to his brother, instead gives ten dinars out of it in charity to the Muslims, but his brother did not know that he has left something with me. He (the Imam) said, ‘I see that you must give ten dinars in charity as you are commanded to do.’”

28. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr and Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man who was indebted and he died. Certain ones of his sons took charge of what he did (business) and they suffered losses. They bought his house, which was of the legacy shared by other heirs, male and female who did not approve the sale and had not asked them to do the work, if they owe anything of the loss. He (the Imam) said, ‘If the house was because of his work and they suffered loss because of that work it is then upon all of the heirs.’”

29. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibrahim ibn Mehzam from ‘Anbasah al-‘Abid who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), to give me an advice. He (the Imam) said, ‘Prepare your supplies, send them ahead of you, be the executor of your own will and do not say to others to send for you what is good for your well-being. 5 ”

30. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad all from Ali ibn Mahziyar from who has narrated the following: “I wrote to abu Ja‘far (a.s.), to inform him (the Imam) that Ishaq ibn Ibrahim has endowed his asset for al-Hajj, the mother of his children and the extra for the needy; that Muhammad ibn Ibrahim appointed me as a witness upon himself for a certain amount of funds to be distributed among our brothers (in belief) and in banu Hashim who know the truth and say what we say who are needy. Will you consider it proper if I spend it on them when it is of the same nature as charity because endowment of Ishaq is charity? He (the Imam) (a.s.), wrote as follows. ‘I understood what you, may Allah grant you blessings, have mentioned about the will of Ishaq. May Allah be pleased with him, and that Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, may Allah be pleased with him, has appointed you as witness for you. You have asked for instruction about sending certain amount of funds to those who incline with interest for banu Hashim who deserve and are needy. You can send to them. May Allah grant you blessings, because if they turn to this direction they are more deserving than others because of the reason that if I explain, you will understand it by the will of Allah.’”