Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 201
Economic Peace 201 Islamic Law of Inheritance The Islamic law of inheritance also plays an important role in the distribution of wealth from the deceased to his dependents. Prescribed shares must be distributed amongst parents, spouses, children, relatives and kith and kin. One cannot deprive them of their rights of inheritance granted to them by God unless there be a good reason, the validity of which will be determined by the courts in an Islamic state and not the individual. At best, a person can bequeath a maximum of one third of his disposable possessions to other people or societies of his choice. 17 These measures effectively prevent the accumulation of wealth in fewer hands. Under the Islamic law of inheritance, the rule of primogeniture or those which involve the impartiality of estates or the unrestricted power of bequest at the whimsical pleasure of the testator are prevented. Both movable and immovable property continues to be divided and sub-divided in each generation and within three or four generations, even large estates are parcelled out into small holdings so that no permanent division is created among the people by a monopoly of the ownership of the land. Prohibition of Bribery Do not devour your wealth among yourselves through falsehood, and offer it not as a bribe to the authorities that you may