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Ahl al-Nasab (the kin by descent, and who counts as kin in bequests and endowments)

أهل النسب

Ahl in origin means the household and kin; the ahl of a man are those closest to him and his clan; nasab means kinship, which is common through one parent or, on another view, through both. 1 For the jurists nasab is kinship through the father only: children are called after their fathers, not their mothers. 1 Thus a bequest to the kin of a man, or an endowment to those who are called after him, goes to those who trace descent through the father; the Shafi'is and Hanbalis exclude the children of daughters, on the Qur'anic phrase that they are to be called after their fathers (sura al-Ahzab, 33:5). 12 The Malikis count the children of daughters in one view, and the Shafi'is do so where the one who makes the endowment is a woman. 2

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Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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Family, marriage and kinship

Definition

Ahl in origin means household and kin; a man's ahl are those closest to him and his clan. Nasab means kinship, common through the father, and on another view through both parents. 1

For the jurists

The jurists count nasab as kinship through the father; the rule is the same in all schools, and the phrase "ahl al-nasab" is used by the Hanafis. 1

  • A bequest to the kin of the testator goes to those who trace descent to him through the father. 1
  • An endowment to those called after the founder excludes the children of daughters by the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, on the Qur'anic phrase that they are to be called after their fathers (sura al-Ahzab, 33:5). 12
  • The Shafi'is include the children of daughters where the founder is a woman, since mention of the descent is for describing the reality. 2
  • The Malikis include them in one view, and in another include them only if they are named expressly. 2

People and things also explored

Taj Mahal· Abawan (the two parents)· Justice among co-wives· Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband· Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)· Akdariyya (a named inheritance case)· Brother (full, paternal and maternal) in law· The Muslim home (al-bayt al-muslim)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3645
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.3646
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Ahl al-Nasab (the kin by descent, and who counts as kin in bequests and endowments)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/ahl-al-nasab/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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