A Critique of the Theory of Disinheritance of a Muslim Heir from Inheriting a non-Muslim Heir

One of the most important financial rules is the inheritance of people from one another if the condition exists, which has always been prevalent across the nations and followers of holy religions. In this regard, Islamic Sharīʿa has provided precise legislations that determine the ranks and levels of heirs and their shares. According to most inheritance āyahs, all eligible individuals, regardless of their religious relations will inherit from one another. These general rules, supported unanimously by Farīqayn juriconsults are established with conclusive evidence; including reports indicating that non-believers will not inherit from Muslims. However, Islamic sects disagree whether Muslims inherit from non-believers or not. The majority of common juriconsults (Fuqahā-yi ʿĀmmih) believe that Muslims don’t inherit from non-believers. On the other hand, Imāmīya juriconsults and a few of the common juriconsults assert that Muslims do inherit from non-believers. The key point is that Imāmīya juriconsults unanimously believe that in case of the existences of a Muslim heir, the non-believing heir will be deprived of inheriting from a non-believer, even if the Muslim belongs to a more distant rank and the non-believer is closer in rank. The present research investigates the issue of the Muslim’s disinheritance from a non-believing heir, using the descriptive-analytical method and document analysis. Contrary to popular belief, the study concludes that arguments in favor of disinheritance are incomplete and the non-believing heir will inherit from the non-believer according to the general rules of inheritance.