25/5. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1634b — How the Will Was Prescribed
Not Making A Will For One Who Has Nothing To Be Bequeathed
Hadith About Wasiyyah: Why Muslims Were Ordered to Make a Will
Sahih Muslim : 1634b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1634b
وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ مِغْوَلٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ . مِثْلَهُ غَيْرَ أَنَّ فِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ قُلْتُ فَكَيْفَ أُمِرَ النَّاسُ بِالْوَصِيَّةِ وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ كُتِبَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْوَصِيَّةُ.
Malik b. Mighwal Narrated from:
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Malik b. Mighwal with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of words. In the hadith related by Waki (the words are)" I said: How the people have been ordered about the will" ; and in the hadith of Ibn Numair (the words are):" How the will has been prescribed for the Muslims, '.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1634bIn-book reference : Book 25, Hadith 25USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 13, Hadith 4010
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1634b
This hadith about wasiyyah repeats the same report through Malik ibn Mighwal, but it notes a small difference in wording. In one version, the question is, “How were the people ordered about the will?” In another, it is, “How was the will prescribed for the Muslims?” The point remains the same: the question was about the command or prescription of making a will, and the answer points back to the Book of Allah. This is useful for readers searching for the hadith about Islamic will because it shows how narrators may report the same meaning with slightly different words. The teaching stays focused: do not claim a material will for the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) from this text.
What we learn from this hadith
- Small wording changes can still carry the same main meaning.
- The command of wasiyyah is treated as a serious matter for Muslims.
- The answer directs attention to the Book of Allah.
- The report teaches care in preserving meaning when narrating hadith.
