سورة الأنفال

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): No, by Allah! Neither Abbas nor Ali (peace be upon him) — none of them inherited from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family); the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had no heir other than Fatimah (peace be upon her). And Ali's (peace be upon him) taking the weapons and other belongings of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was only because he settled the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) debt. And relatives are more deserving [than others] toward one another in the rulings which Allah has decreed.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir said: I asked the Imam (peace be upon him): 'What is the meaning of Allah's word in this verse: إِنَّما یُرِیدُ اللهُ لِیُذْهِبَ عَنْکُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ وَ یُطَهِّرَکُمْ تَطْهِیراً [Allah only wishes to remove impurity and sin from you, O People of the House, and to purify you thoroughly] (Ahzab/33)?' He said: 'This verse was revealed concerning the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), Hasan, Husayn and Fatimah (peace be upon them). After Allah the Mighty and Majestic took His noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) from this world, He placed Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), then Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), then Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) in the position of His Excellency (peace be upon him and his family). Then the ta'wil (interpretation) of this verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of kinship are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah] came to pass, meaning that Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) became the Imam after his father, and then the Imamate continued in his descendants; so obedience to them is obedience to Allah, and disobedience to them is disobedience to Allah the Mighty and Majestic.'

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) passed away, Ali (peace be upon him) was the most worthy of all people to lead the people, on account of the greatness of his rank and station in Islam; for when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was ordered to convey the message of Allah to the people, he raised Ali (peace be upon him) up and took his hand and introduced him to the people as his successor. And when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) came to the point of death, he was neither able nor did he seek to bring in Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, or Abbas, or any one of his other sons, because in such a case Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) would have said: "Allah has sent down concerning us the same verse He sent down concerning you, and He has commanded obedience to us just as He commanded obedience to you, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) has proclaimed concerning us just as he proclaimed concerning you, and Allah has purified us from impurities just as He purified you." And when Imam Ali (peace be upon him) passed away, Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) was more worthy of it on account of being the elder. When death approached Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him), he neither did nor could he say: "Allah the Exalted says: أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ [and the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other]", and thereby assign the imamate to his own children, for in that case Husayn (peace be upon him) would have said: "What Allah sent down concerning you and our father, He also sent down concerning me; and just as He commanded obedience to you and to my father, He also commanded obedience to me; and He has removed impurity from me just as He removed it from you and from my father." When the imamate reached Husayn (peace be upon him), there was no one else who could put forward a claim against him as he could claim against his father and brother [had they attempted to divert the matter from him — which they would not have done]. When the matter of the imamate settled upon Husayn (peace be upon him), the interpretation of the verse أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فی کِتابِ الله [and the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah] was realised, and the imamate after him passed to Ali ibn al-Husayn, and after Ali ibn al-Husayn to Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon them). Then the Imam (peace be upon him) said: "al-Rijs (impurity) is doubt, and by Allah, we never doubt in our religion."

Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) said: When Allah revealed the verse وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah], I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) about its interpretation. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "By Allah! He intended none but you [Ahl al-Bayt], for you are my kin. When I depart this world, your father Ali (peace be upon him) is the most deserving of me and of my station. When your father departs this world, your brother Hasan (peace be upon him) is the most deserving of him, and when Hasan (peace be upon him) departs this world, you are the most deserving of him." I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! After me, who is the most deserving of me?" He said: "After you, your son Ali (peace be upon him); after him, his son Muhammad (peace be upon him); after him, his son Ja'far (peace be upon him); after him, his son Musa (peace be upon him); after him, his son Ali (peace be upon him); after him, his son Muhammad (peace be upon him); after him, his son Ali (peace be upon him); and after him, his son Hasan (peace be upon him) are the most deserving persons for succession. When Hasan (peace be upon him) departs this world, your ninth descendant will go into occultation. These nine Imams are from your lineage, upon whom Allah has bestowed my knowledge and understanding, and whoever harms me concerning them, Allah will not grant him my intercession [on the Day of Judgement]."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), from his fathers, that he said: Ali (peace be upon him) came to the Messengerof Allah (peace be upon him and his family) during his illness, while [the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)] was unconscious and his head was in the lap of Jibra'il (peace be upon him), and Jibra'il was in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi. When Ali (peace be upon him) entered, Jibra'il said to him: "Take the head of your cousin, for you are more deserving of it, because Allah says in His Book: وَ أُوْلُواْ الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَی بِبَعْضٍ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other]." So Ali (peace be upon him) sat down and took the head of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and placed it on his lap. The head of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) remained in his lap until the sun set, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) regained consciousness. He raised his head and looked at Ali (peace be upon him) and said: "O Ali (peace be upon him)! Where is Jibra'il?" He said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! I saw no one but Dihyah al-Kalbi, and he placed your head on my lap and said: 'O Ali (peace be upon him)! Take the head of your cousin, for you are more deserving of it than I am, because Allah says in His Book: وَ أُوْلُواْ الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتَابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah].' So I sat down and took your head, and you remained in my lap until the sun set." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Have you performed the Asr prayer?" He said: "No." He said: "Why did you not wake me?" He said: "You were unconscious and your head was in my lap, and I did not like, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), to cause you any discomfort. And I did not wish to stand up for prayer and set your head down." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Allah, indeed he was in obedience to You and obedience to Your Messenger until the Asr prayer passed him by. O Allah, return the sun for him so that he may perform the Asr prayer in its time." He said: So the sun rose and stood in the sky at the time of Asr, bright and clear, and the people of Medina saw it. Ali (peace be upon him) stood and performed his prayer. When he left the place of his prayer, the sun set and they performed the Maghrib prayer.

Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him): The verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah], [and the verse]: "He made the word of tawhid an enduring word among the generations after him" (Zukhruf/28), were revealed concerning us. And Allah has established the Imamate in the descendants of Husayn (peace be upon him) until the Day of Resurrection, and He has said: "Our Qa'im has two occultations, one of which is longer than the other; the first occultation is six days, six months and six years, and the second occultation will be so long that most of those who believe in him will deviate, and none will remain firm upon this belief except those who have strong certainty and correct knowledge, and who find in themselves no distress from what we have commanded them, and who submit to us, the Ahl al-Bayt."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir said: I said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "A man from the Mukhtariyya sect met me and believed that Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya is the Imam." Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) became angry and said: "Did you not say anything to him?" I said: "No, by Allah, I did not know what to say." He said: "Did you not tell him that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) made Ali, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) his successors after himself, and when Ali (peace be upon him) passed away, he appointed Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) and Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) as his successors, and even if Ali (peace be upon him) himself had wanted to withhold the right of Imamate from them, he could not have done so, and they would have said to him: 'We are successors of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) just as you are,' and it was not within Ali's (peace be upon him) power to do that. Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) likewise made Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) his successor, and even if Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) himself had wanted to withhold the right of Imamate from Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), he could not have done so, and Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) would have said to him: 'I am a successor of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) just as you are,' and it was not within Imam Hasan's (peace be upon him) power to do that. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other]; [he (peace be upon him) said:] this verse was revealed concerning us and our children."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) [in reply to Muawiya]: ... Our mixing and mingling with you never destroys our lasting nobility and our gifts bestowed upon you. We took wives from your tribe and gave wives to your tribe, as equals do, though you were never at that level. And how could it be so, when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is from us and the denier [Abu Jahl] is from you; Asadullah [the Lion of Allah, Hamzah] is from us and Asad al-Ahlaf is from you; the two masters and chiefs of the youth of Paradise [Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them)] are from us and the children of the Fire [the offspring of Marwan, or the sons of Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt] are from you; the best of the women of the worlds [Fatimah (peace be upon her)] is from us and Hammalat al-Hatab [the wife of Abu Lahab] is from you; and many other things of this kind concerning us and you. The era of our Islam has reached everyone's ears, and our deeds in the era of Jahiliyyah are not hidden from anyone. The Book of Allah, the Quran, has gathered in a single verse what we have not enumerated and made it plain, and that is the word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the Book of Allah]. And He has also said: إِنَّ أَوْلَی النَّاسِ بِإِبْراهِیمَ لَلَّذِینَ اتَّبَعُوهُ وَ هذَا النَّبِیُّ وَ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا وَ اللهُ وَلِیُّ الْمُؤْمِنِین [Indeed, the people most worthy of Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the Guardian of the believers]. So we, on one hand, are worthier than others through kinship, and on the other hand through obedience. And on the day when the Muhajirin spoke with the Ansar in the Saqifah, they were able, through mentioning kinship and relationship with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), to prevail over them. If this is a proof of superiority, then the right is with us and not with you; and if it is by some other proof, then the claim of the Ansar stands as it is.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The imamate, after Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), never passed from brother to brother. From the time of Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) it has flowed exclusively according to the word of Allah the Exalted: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the Book of Allah], and after Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) there is no imamate except in successive descendants, that is, from father to son.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abu Amr al-Zubayri said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Tell me about the departure of the imamate from the sons of Hasan (peace be upon him) to the sons of Husayn (peace be upon him): how is that, and what is the proof of it?" ... He said: "When the command of Allah came for Husayn (peace be upon him), he did not deem it permissible to hand over the imamate to the sons of his brother and to entrust it to them, because Allah says: وَ أُوْلُواْ الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتَابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the Book of Allah]. So the kinship relation of his sons was closer than that of his brother's sons, and they were more deserving of the imamate. And this verse has removed the sons of Hasan (peace be upon him) from it [the imamate], and the imamate has reached the sons of Husayn, and the verse has ruled in favour of their imamate, and it will remain among them until the Day of Judgement."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When the imamate and wilayah reached Husayn (peace be upon him), no one from his family could bring a claim against him [and claim the imamate for himself], just as he, if his brother and father had wished to take the imamate from him [and transfer it to another], could have brought a claim against them — although they would never have done such a thing [and would not have taken the imamate from him]. With the arrival of the imamate to Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him), the ta'wil (interpretation) of the verse وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah] came to pass. Then after Husayn (peace be upon him) it passed to Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and after him to Muhammad ibn Ali (peace be upon him).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Zayd said: "I asked Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) about this statement of Allah the Exalted: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]." The Imam said: "It refers to Imam Ali (peace be upon him)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahim Qasir said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about the verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]. His Holiness (peace be upon him) said: "This verse was revealed concerning the children of Husayn (peace be upon him)." I said: "May I be your ransom! Was it revealed concerning the fara'id (obligatory shares)?" He said: "No." I said: "Was it revealed concerning the general shares of inheritance?" He said: "No; it was revealed concerning rulership and governance."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): The verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ مِنَ المُؤْمِنِینَ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah than the believers] was revealed concerning us.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A person said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)! ... Explain to me about the transfer of the Imamate from the progeny of [Imam] Hasan (peace be upon him) to the progeny of [Imam] Husayn (peace be upon him) — why and for what reason did this come about?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The proof of it is this verse of the Quran: إِنَّما یُرِیدُ اللهُ لِیُذْهِبَ عَنْکُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ وَ یُطَهِّرَکُمْ تَطْهِیراً [Allah only wishes to remove impurity and sin from you, O People of the House, and to purify you thoroughly] (al-Ahzab/33). This verse was revealed concerning five persons, and it bears witness to their purity from polytheism, from the worship of idols, and from the worship of anything other than Allah. Its origin traces back to the prayer of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) where he said: وَ اجْنُبْنِی وَ بَنِیَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنامَ [And keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols] (Ibrahim/35). And the five persons in whose regard the verse of Tathir (purification) was revealed are: the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), Ali (peace be upon him), Fatima (peace be upon her), Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), and they are the ones whom the prayer of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) intended. The chief and master of these five in this verse was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). Fatima (peace be upon her) is a woman who shared with them in purification, and [at the same time] she has no share in the Imamate, and she is the mother of the Imams (peace be upon them). When Allah took the soul of His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) was the most deserving of the people for the Imamate after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), on account of this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ أُولئِکَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ [And the foremost ones — the foremost — they are those brought near] (al-Waqi'a/10-11), and on account of the word of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) regarding Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), who said: 'These two are the masters of the youth of Paradise, and their father is better than them,' and on account of this word of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who said: 'Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) are Imams whether they rise or sit, and their father is better than them.' Consequently Ali (peace be upon him) was more deserving of the Imamate than Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), because he was the foremost. When Ali (peace be upon him) departed from this world, Hasan (peace be upon him) was more deserving of the Imamate than Husayn (peace be upon him), by the proof of precedence, as He said: وَ السَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ [And the foremost ones — the foremost] (al-Waqi'a/10). Hasan (peace be upon him) was foremost over Husayn (peace be upon him) and more deserving of the Imamate. When death approached Hasan (peace be upon him), he could not place the Imamate in his own progeny, since his brother (Husayn (peace be upon him)) was like him in purification, and by this merit and by his precedence [over the progeny of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him)] Husayn (peace be upon him) had merit and superiority over the progeny of Hasan (peace be upon him); for that reason the Imamate came to him. When death approached Husayn (peace be upon him), he could not transfer the Imamate to his brother's progeny instead of his own, on account of this verse which says: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah], since his own progeny were closer to him in kinship than his brother's progeny and were more deserving of the Imamate. So this verse excluded the children of Hasan (peace be upon him) and ruled in favour of the Imamate of the children of Husayn (peace be upon him), and until the Day of Resurrection this Imamate will continue among them, and praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd Allah ibn Sinan said: I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: "The practice of Ali (peace be upon him) was such that if one of his freed slaves passed away and had a relative, he would not take anything from his inheritance, and he would say: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Qays narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: The maternal aunt of a man who had died, and who was disputing with that man's slave over the inheritance, came before Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) for judgement, and the Imam recited the verse: وَأُوْلُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتَابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah], and gave the inheritance to the maternal aunt of the deceased and gave nothing to his slave.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said regarding the verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]: "That is, some of the relatives, in matters of inheritance from the deceased, are more deserving than others, because whichever of them has a closer kinship with the deceased is more deserving of inheriting [and takes precedence over the others]." Then the Imam ([by way of example]) said: "Is the mother of the deceased closer to him, or the deceased's brother and sister who share the same father and mother? Is not the mother closer to the deceased than his brothers and sisters? [The explanation being that the mother is counted among the first class of heirs, while the brother and sister are counted among the second class of heirs; consequently the mother, being of the first class, takes precedence over them]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Regarding the share of inheritance of each of the heirs [who have a fixed share in the Qur'an], one refers to what has come in the Qur'an [in the verses relating to inheritance], and in the next stage, each person inherits in proportion to his nearness to the deceased, for Allah says: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]. Consequently, whoever, on account of his nearness [to the deceased], is entitled to receive the inheritance, blocks the inheritance of one who is more distant [in relation to the deceased] and inherits alone (as when, given the presence of a child, the turn does not reach a grandchild, and given the presence of a grandchild, it does not reach a great-grandchild); and he takes, in this inheritance, the place of the one through whom he is connected to the deceased (for example, in the absence of a child of the deceased, the grandchild of the deceased takes the child's inheritance); and the remainder of the inheritance is given to him just as the remaining portion of the inheritance would be given to that intermediary (that is, just as, for instance, if the sole heir is a single daughter, half the inheritance is given to her as the fixed share and the other half is given to her as radd (return of the residue), likewise, in the absence of a child of the deceased, it is the grandchild who takes the remainder of the inheritance as radd).

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Basir narrates from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) that he said: "The maternal uncle and maternal aunt inherit, but on the condition that no one else is with them; indeed Allah says: وَأُوْلُواْ الأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتَابِ اللّه [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) was asked about a man: "He left property, and his only heirs are his two maternal aunts and some freed slaves." He said: "Allah has said: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]; the property is divided between the two maternal aunts."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When a freed slave dies and has a blood relative — whether from among the relatives for whom a specific share has been designated in the Quran or from among those for whom no specific share has been designated in the Quran — in either case the inheritance of that slave goes only to his blood relatives and not to his former owners, and [the general rule in such matters is that] the former owners of slaves [who have freed them] inherit nothing when the slave has blood relatives. And the Imam (peace be upon him) recited [as evidence] this verse: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sulayman ibn Khalid narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The practice of Ali (peace be upon him) was such that when there was a blood relative [of a freed slave] he would give nothing to the former owners, whether from among the relatives for whom a specific share has been designated in the Quran or from among the relatives for whom no specific share has been designated in the Quran, and he would say: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ إِنَّ اللهَ بِکُلِّ شَیْءٍ عَلِیمٌ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah; indeed Allah knows all things]; Allah was aware of their position, and for that reason He appointed no share for them when blood relatives are present."

Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her): Abdullah ibn Hasan narrates with his chain from his forefathers: When Abu Bakr decided to bar Fatima (peace be upon her) from Fadak ... Fatima (peace be upon her) said: ... "O son of Abu Quhafa! Is it in the Book of Allah that you inherit from your father and I do not inherit from my father?! Indeed you have committed something astonishing [and unprecedented]! Have you deliberately cast the Book of Allah behind your backs [and set yourselves in opposition to it], where He says: 'And Sulayman inherited from Dawud' (Naml/16), and where He recounts the story of Yahya ibn Zakariya (peace be upon him), He says: Yahya (peace be upon him), when he said: 'My Lord! Grant me from Yourself a successor who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Yaqub' (Maryam/65). And He said: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]. And He said: 'Allah enjoins upon you concerning your children that the share [of inheritance] of a son shall be equal to the share of two daughters' (Nisa/11). And He said: 'If [the deceased] leaves behind any good, he should make a bequest in the proper manner for his parents and near kin; this is a duty upon the pious' (Baqara/180)."

Fiqh al-Rida (peace be upon him): May Allah have mercy on you. Know that Allah the Blessed and Exalted has divided the obligatory shares [of inheritance] in a specified measure and a calculated reckoning, and in His Quran He has brought verses that explain the manner of the division of inheritance. Then He said: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]. And He made the inheritance of two kinds: a portion explained in detail and another portion left general. For the husband [when the deceased is his wife], if she has no child, He appointed half of the inheritance, and with the existence of a child, one-fourth of the inheritance — so that with the existence of other heirs, nothing is added to the husband's share nor anything reduced. On this same basis, for the wife [when the deceased is her husband], if he has no child, He appointed one-fourth, and with the existence of a child, one-eighth. For the father and mother, with the existence of a child and other heirs, He appointed one-sixth, from which they do not receive less, and in some cases more than one-sixth reaches them. Then for the sons, brothers, sisters and other relatives He appointed shares in the Quran [as obligatory shares] and shares under the heading that they are relatives, and He placed the wealth [left behind by the deceased] — after [extracting the shares of] the husband, wife, father and mother — for the relatives, whichever of them is nearer than another [to the deceased], in this manner: the share of the [inheritance of the] son is equal to the share of two daughters. (al-Nisa/11). And if the family relationship from the side of the father and mother is equal, you divide the inheritance according to the verses which have specified the share of each person, and if the family relationship is close to one another, you divide according to the verse of dhawi al-arham [possessors of relationships]: وَ أُولُوا الْأَرْحامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلی بِبَعْضٍ فِی کِتابِ اللهِ [And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah]. And know that the total of the inheritance shares is six shares, no more than that, and it was made six shares because the human being, according to the content of the verse: 'And indeed We created the human being from an extract of clay.' (al-Muminun/12), was created from six things. ... And the most fundamental part of inheritance is that with the existence of a child and the father and mother [of the deceased], no one inherits except the husband and the wife.