Executing the Will as it Requires

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ أَوْصَى بِمَالِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَعْطِهِ لِمَنْ أَوْصَى بِهِ لَهُ وَ إِنْ كَانَ يَهُودِيّاً أَوْ نَصْرَانِيّاً إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ- فَمَنْ بَدَّلَهُ‌ بَعْدَ ما سَمِعَهُ فَإِنَّما إِثْمُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يُبَدِّلُونَهُ‌[1].

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has made a will to spend his assets in the way of Allah. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must give it to the designated beneficiary even if he is a Christian or a Jew; Allah, most Blessed, most High, says, “Whoever intentionally changes the will of a deceased p

أَعْطِ لِمَنْ أَوْصَى لَهُ بِهِ وَ إِنْ كَانَ يَهُودِيّاً أَوْ نَصْرَانِيّاً إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ- فَمَنْ بَدَّلَهُ بَعْدَ ما سَمِعَهُ فَإِنَّما إِثْمُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يُبَدِّلُونَهُ‌.

“This is about the case of a man who has made a will to spend his asset in the way of Allah. One of the two Imam, (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ‘You must give it to the designated beneficiary even if he is a Christian or a Jew; Allah, most Blessed, most High, says, “Whoever intentionally

كَتَبَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ وَ مُوسَى وَ فِيمَا أَمَرْتُكُمَا مِنَ الْإِشْهَادِ بِكَذَا وَ كَذَا نَجَاةٌ لَكُمَا فِي آخِرَتِكُمَا وَ إِنْفَاذٌ لِمَا أَوْصَى بِهِ أَبَوَاكُمَا وَ بِرٌّ مِنْكُمَا لَهُمَا وَ احْذَرَا أَنْ لَا تَكُونَا بَدَّلْتُمَا وَصِيَّتَهُمَا وَ لَا غَيَّرْتُمَاهَا عَنْ حَالِهَا لِأَنَّهُمَا قَدْ خَرَجَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَ صَارَ ذَلِكَ فِي رِقَابِكُمَا وَ قَدْ قَالَ ال

3. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ali ibn Mahziyar from who has narrated the following: “Abu Ja‘far, Alayhi al-Salam, wrote to Ja‘far and Musa, this instruction. ‘In the matter of my commanding you to appoint witnesses to so and so issues; it is because it is for your safety and protectio

أَنَّ رَجُلًا كَانَ بِهَمَذَانَ ذَكَرَ أَنَّ أَبَاهُ مَاتَ وَ كَانَ لَا يَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ فَأَوْصَى بِوَصِيَّةٍ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ أَوْصَى أَنْ يُعْطَى شَيْ‌ءٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَسُئِلَ عَنْهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع كَيْفَ يُفْعَلُ بِهِ فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ فَقَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَوْصَى إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَضَعَ فِي يَهُودِيٍّ أَوْ نَصْرَانِيٍّ لَوَضَعْتُهُ فِيهِمَا إِن

4. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Walid from Yunus ibn Ya’qub who has narrated the following: “A man of Hamadan has said that his father died but he did not know this fact (the Divine Authority of A’immah). He made a will when he was about to die to give something in the w

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنَّ رَجُلًا أَوْصَى إِلَيَّ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ فِي السَّبِيلِ فَقَالَ لِيَ اصْرِفْهُ فِي الْحَجِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ أَوْصَى إِلَيَّ فِي السَّبِيلِ قَالَ اصْرِفْهُ فِي الْحَجِّ فَإِنِّي لَا أَعْلَمُ شَيْئاً مِنْ سَبِيلِهِ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْحَجِّ.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, about the case of a man who has made a will to spend in the way of Allah. He (the Imam) said to me to spend it for al-Haj j . I said that he has said to spend it in the way of Allah. He (the Imam) said, ‘Spend for al-Hajj because I do not see anything in His way better tha