assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah,

We’re very excited to be offering a course on inheritance law for the first time this Spring. This is a topic that is so important for us to know, but that is not often taught in our times. Indeed, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, described inheritance as the first knowledge to be taken from this Ummah.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Learn inheritance and teach it for it is half the knowledge and it will be forgotten, and it is the first thing to be ripped from my Ummah” (Ibn Majah 2710). He also said: “Learn inheritance and teach it to people for I am a mortal being and knowledge will decrease until two people would differ amongst themselves over inheritance, but wouldn’t find an arbitrator” (al Nisa’i 6305).

Look around and you will see the truth of the Prophet’s statement—families divided over property, children hurt over parental preference in wills, siblings no longer on speaking terms with each other—especially when the deceased has a large estate. It is crucial that inheritance law be learned and applied, otherwise some may be denied their rights while others eat of haram wealth.

Due to the gravity of its impact, inheritance is one of the few topics that Allah described its legal rulings in detail in the Quran, resulting in little difference of opinion between the legal schools. These minor differences will be explained in this course, making the course suitable for followers of every school. Topics in this course include: the pillars, conditions, reasons, and prohibitions of inheritance, state rights, principles of distribution, and wills.

Shaykh Ashraf Muneeb will be teaching the course. I took it with him at Dar al-Tawfiq last summer, and masha’Allah he took what could’ve been a very complicated topic (especially with all the fractions and math involved) and taught it in a very clear manner with well-organized charts. He also applied the rules to numerous case studies, really helping us students understand how the rules should be applied.

Inheritance law is a Fard Kifaya, meaning it is communally-obligatory for it to be learned and applied. So we hope that by making this course available to you, you will then be able to assist your community in solving basic inheritance cases and advising them on the need to consult an expert when needed. We’re also planning on offering follow-up, “next level” inheritance courses in the future.

I encourage you to take the step and ensure the knowledge of inheritance law is not taken from our communities by taking advantage of this course.

To learn more about Introduction to Inheritance Law, go to: http://www.sunnipath.com/Academy/OnlineCourses/Law/Introduction-to-Inheritance-Law.aspx