Chapter

Wills and Testaments

كتاب الوصية

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ، قَالَ مَنْ نَحَلَ وَلَدًا لَهُ صَغِيرًا لَمْ يَبْلُغْ أَنْ يَحُوزَ نُحْلَهُ فَأَعْلَنَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدَ عَلَيْهَا فَهِيَ جَائِزَةٌ وَإِنْ وَلِيَهَا أَبُوهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّ مَنْ نَحَلَ ابْنًا لَهُ صَغِيرًا ذَهَبًا أَوْ وَرِقًا ثُمَّ هَلَكَ وَهُوَ يَلِيهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ شَىْءَ لِلاِبْنِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ الأَبُ عَزَلَهَا بِعَيْنِهَا أَوْ دَفَعَهَا إِلَى رَجُلٍ وَضَعَهَا لاِبْنِهِ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ فَإِنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ جَائِزٌ لِلاِبْنِ ‏.‏

English Translation

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Uthman ibn Affan said, "If someone gives something to his small child who is not old enough to look after it himself, and in order that his gift might be permitted he makes the gift public and has it witnessed, the gift is permitted, even if the father keeps charge of it." Malik said, "What is done in our community is that if a man gives his small child some gold or silver and then dies and he has it in his own keeping, the child has none of it unless the father set it aside in coin or placed it with a man to keep for the son. If he does that, it is permitted for the son."