The Will and Debts

قَالَ‌ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ص‌ إِنَّ الدَّيْنَ قَبْلَ الْوَصِيَّةِ ثُمَّ الْوَصِيَّةَ عَلَى أَثَرِ الدَّيْنِ ثُمَّ الْمِيرَاثَ بَعْدَ الْوَصِيَّةِ فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ الْقَضَاءِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that ’ Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ‘A debt must be paid before the will, then the will is paid for. Thereafter are the shares of the heirs after the will, because the first judge in the case is the book of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ أَوْصَى إِلَى رَجُلٍ وَ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ فَقَالَ يَقْضِي الرَّجُلُ مَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ دَيْنِهِ وَ يَقْسِمُ مَا بَقِيَ بَيْنَ الْوَرَثَةِ قُلْتُ فَسُرِقَ مَا كَانَ أَوْصَى بِهِ مِنَ الدَّيْنِ مِمَّنْ يُؤْخَذُ الدَّيْنُ أَ مِنَ الْوَرَثَةِ قَالَ لَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنَ الْوَرَثَةِ وَ لَكِنَّ الْوَصِيَّ ضَامِنٌ لَهَا[1].

“I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who makes a will and he is indebted. He (the Imam) said, ‘He (executor of the will) pays the debts first, then distributes the legacy among the heirs.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if what is assigned to pay debts is stolen and about who pays for the debt if

كُنَّا عَلَى بَابِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع وَ نَحْنُ جَمَاعَةٌ نَنْتَظِرُ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ إِذْ جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ فَقَالَتْ أَيُّكُمْ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ فَقَالَ لَهَا الْقَوْمُ مَا تُرِيدِينَ مِنْهُ قَالَتْ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَقَالُوا لَهَا هَذَا فَقِيهُ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ فَسَلِيهِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّ زَوْجِي مَاتَ وَ تَرَكَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ وَ كَانَ لِي عَلَيْهِ مِنْ صَدَاقِي خَمْسُمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ فَأَخَذْتُ صَد

“Once we were with abu Ja‘far (a.s.). We were in a group waiting for him (the Imam) to come out. A woman came and asked, ‘Which one of you is abu Ja‘far?’ The people asked, ‘What for are you asking for him?’ She replied, ‘I want to ask him about an issue.’ They said, ‘This is the jurist of the people of Iraq. You can a

إِذَا كَانَ الْمَتَاعُ قَائِماً بِعَيْنِهِ رُدَّ إِلَى صَاحِبِ الْمَتَاعِ وَ قَالَ لَيْسَ لِلْغُرَمَاءِ أَنْ يُخَاصِمُوهُ.

“This is about the case of a man who sells something to a man and the buyer takes possession of the goods but does not pay for it. Then the buyer dies and the goods exist as they were. Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If the goods exist as they were, they must be returned to its owner and other creditors do not have a

إِذَا رَضِيَ الْغُرَمَاءُ فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ ذِمَّةُ الْمَيِّتِ.

“About the case of a man who dies with debts on him and a guarantor takes responsibility to pay the creditors, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If the creditors agree, the deceased becomes free from responsibility.”’

نَعَمْ قُلْتُ وَ هُوَ لَمْ يَتْرُكْ شَيْئاً قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَخَذُوا الدِّيَةَ فَعَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَقْضُوا دَيْنَهُ.

“About the case of a man who is killed and who owed debs, but has not left any legacy but his heirs received blood money (wergild) from his killer; if they must pay his debts, abu al-Hassan (a.s.), has said, ‘Yes, they must pay his debts.’ I then said, ‘He has not left any legacy.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because th

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ مَاتَ وَ لَهُ عَلَيَّ دَيْنٌ وَ خَلَّفَ وُلْداً رِجَالًا وَ نِسَاءً وَ صِبْيَاناً فَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ فَقَالَ أَنْتَ فِي حِلٍّ مِمَّا لِأَبِي عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِصَّتِي وَ أَنْتَ فِي حِلٍّ مِمَّا لِإِخْوَتِي وَ أَخَوَاتِي وَ أَنَا ضَامِنٌ لِرِضَاهُمْ عَنْكَ قَالَ تَكُونُ فِي سَعَةٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ حِلٍّ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُعْطِهِمْ قَالَ كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي عُنُقِهِ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ ر

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man who dies and I owe him a certain amount of money. He has left behind children, male, female, and smaller children. One of them once came to me and said, ‘You are free of the responsibility of what you owed to my father as much as my share is concerned and you