Inheritance of People of other Religions

فِيمَا رَوَى النَّاسُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ص أَنَّهُ قَالَ: لَا يَتَوَارَثُ أَهْلُ مِلَّتَيْنِ‌ فَقَالَ نَرِثُهُمْ وَ لَا يَرِثُونَّا لِأَنَّ الْإِسْلَامَ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ فِي حَقِّهِ إِلَّا شِدَّةً.

“This is about what is narrated from the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. He (the Messenger of Allah) has said that people of two religions do not inherit from each other. Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘We inherit from them but they c

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ لَا يَرِثُ الْيَهُودِيُّ وَ لَا النَّصْرَانِيُّ الْمُسْلِمَ وَ يَرِثُ الْمُسْلِمُ الْيَهُودِيَّ وَ النَّصْرَانِيَّ.

“I once heard abu Ja‘far, Alayhi al-Salam, saying, ‘Jews and Christians cannot inherit from the Muslims but a Muslim can inherit from Jews and Christians.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ هَلْ يَرِثُ الْمُشْرِكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَ لَا يَرِثُ الْمُشْرِكُ الْمُسْلِمَ.

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, if a Muslim can inherit from a pagan. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, but a pagan cannot inherit from the Muslim.’”

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ- النَّصْرَانِيُّ يَمُوتُ وَ لَهُ ابْنٌ مُسْلِمٌ أَ يَرِثُهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لَمْ يَزِدْهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا عِزّاً فَنَحْنُ نَرِثُهُمْ وَ لَا يَرِثُونَّا.

“I once said to abu Ja’far, Alayhi al-Salam, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, if a Christian man dies and has a Muslim son, can he inherit from him?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, because Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, through al-Islam has increased his honor, so we inherit from them but th

الْمُسْلِمُ يَحْجُبُ الْكَافِرَ وَ يَرِثُهُ وَ الْكَافِرُ لَا يَحْجُبُ الْمُؤْمِنَ وَ لَا يَرِثُهُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The Muslim bars a kafir (non-Muslim) and inherits from him, but a kafir cannot bar the believer and cannot inherit from him (believing person).”’

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ الْمُسْلِمُ يَرِثُ امْرَأَتَهُ الذِّمِّيَّةَ وَ لَا تَرِثُهُ.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, saying, ‘The Muslim inherits from his Dhimmiy (taxpayer) wife and she cannot inherit from him.’”