Impermissibility of a father granting a son a farm to the exclusion of the other sons

Q 1: Is it permissible for a parent to transfer ownership of his farm to one of his children to the exclusion of the rest? My father registered a farm in my name, leaving my sister and young brother with nothing. Am I obliged to support them financially or not?


A: A parent should be fair in giving gifts to his children, allocating shares based on the Islamic rules of inheritance. He is not permitted to give preference to some of his children over others, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade this. Al-Nu`man ibn Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that his father brought him to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said: I have given this slave of mine to my son as a gift. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Have you given to every one of your sons (a slave) like this? He said: No. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Then take him back. (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Thereupon, your father should be fair when it comes to giving gifts; he should either give the same gift to the rest of his children or take it back from his son. If your father is dead, you should divide the inheritance between you and the rest of the heirs according to the Shar`y ruling. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.


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