29/10. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2101 — Grandmother Inheritance Share
What has been Related About The Inheritance For The Grandmother
Grandmother Inheritance in Islam: A Sixth Share
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2101
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2101
حَدَّثَنَا الأَنْصَارِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنٌ، قال حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ خَرَشَةَ، عَنْ قَبِيصَةَ بْنِ ذُؤَيْبٍ، قَالَ جَاءَتِ الْجَدَّةُ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ تَسْأَلُهُ مِيرَاثَهَا . قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهَا مَا لَكِ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ وَمَا لَكِ فِي سُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم شَيْءٌ فَارْجِعِي حَتَّى أَسْأَلَ النَّاسَ . فَسَأَلَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ حَضَرْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَعْطَاهَا السُّدُسَ . فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ هَلْ مَعَكَ غَيْرُكَ فَقَامَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ الأَنْصَارِيُّ فَقَالَ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ فَأَنْفَذَهُ لَهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ . قَالَ ثُمَّ جَاءَتِ الْجَدَّةُ الأُخْرَى إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ تَسْأَلُهُ مِيرَاثَهَا فَقَالَ مَا لَكِ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ وَلَكِنْ هُوَ ذَاكَ السُّدُسُ فَإِنِ اجْتَمَعْتُمَا فِيهِ فَهُوَ بَيْنَكُمَا وَأَيَّتُكُمَا خَلَتْ بِهِ فَهُوَ لَهَا . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ . وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ وَهُوَ أَصَحُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ .
Qabisah bin Dhuw'aib Narrated from:
A Grandmother Came To Abu Bakr To Ask Him About Her Inheritance. He Said To Her, 'There Is Nothing For You In The Book Of Allah And There Is Nothing For You In The Sunnah Of The Messenger Of Allah(S.A.W). So, Return Until I Ask The People. So He Asked The People And Al-Mughirah Bin Shu'Bah Said: 'I Was Present When The Messenger Of Allah(S.A.W) Gave Her (Case) A Sixth.' So He Said: 'Was Anyone Else With You?' Muhammad Bin Maslamah Stood To Say The Same As What Al-Mughirah Bin Shu'Bah Said. So Abu Bakr Implemented That For Her."Then The Other Grandmother Came To 'Umar Bin Al-Khattab To Ask Him About Her Inheritance. He Said: 'There Is Nothing In The Book Of Allah For You, But There Is That Sixth. So If The Two Of You Are Together Then It Is For Both Of You, And Whichever Of You Remains), Then It Is For Her.'"
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2101In-book reference : Book 29, Hadith 12English translation : Vol. 4, Book 3, Hadith 2101
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2101
This Hadith explains a careful case of grandmother inheritance in Islam. A grandmother came to Abu Bakr to ask about her share. He did not give an instant answer when he did not find a direct ruling before him in the Book of Allah or in what he knew from the Sunnah. Instead, he asked the people. Al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah said he had seen the Messenger of Allah give the grandmother one-sixth, and Muhammad bin Maslamah supported the same report. Abu Bakr then applied it for her. The narration also mentions that Umar later explained how the sixth would be handled if two grandmothers came together. The main lesson is careful judgment, verified knowledge, and fair handling of inheritance shares.
What we learn from this hadith
- A judge or leader should not rush when the evidence is not clear to him.
- Reliable testimony can help establish a ruling in inheritance matters.
- The grandmother’s share mentioned in this narration is one-sixth.
- When two grandmothers share the same case, the narration states that the sixth is divided between them.
