The Economic System of Islam — Page 88
88 Right to Own Land Right to Own Land Right to Own Land Right to Own Land Islamic teachings, the broad principles of which have already been explained, is that all land belongs to God who recognises just titles to portions of it , subject to the condition that, at the death of the title- holder, the land should be divided among stipulated heirs in speci- fied proportions (one share for each boy, one-half share for the girl and one-third share for the parents) and that in no case must it be passed on to any single heir by excluding the others. In the absence of children, the land would be divided among brothers, sisters, and parents and, if there were no legitimate heir, the land would revert to God’s representative, which is the State in this case. No one may bequeath more than one-third of his inheritance, with the condi- tion that none of the stipulated heirs have any share in this one- third. This teaching is full of wisdom, because: 1. The right of ownership is recognised, therefore, every owner would be inclined to put their land to best use, as his livelihood depends on it. 2. Because the owner’s children know that one day they too would be cultivating the land, they would strive to gain ex- pertise in farming. 3. Even where there are large landholdings initially, they would be subdivided into smaller lots over time because of the law of inheritance. 4. Finally, because Islam maintains that all land belongs ulti- mately to God, no one may acquire it through illegitimate means.