Q. My father died leaving behind his wife, two sons and two daughters. He left a house and a plot of land which were sold by his heirs. Could you please tell us how his estate is divided between his heirs.

M. Yousuf

A. One point I have to make clear before answering your question is that if your father is also survived by either one of his parents, they also have a share of inheritance.

Although you have given me the prices of the house and the land, I do not like to give figures in order to avoid confusion. There are other items your father must have also left behind, such as liquid money, savings, business, furniture, etc. What you have to consider is that before any heir takes anything, there are things that must be done. These are: The costs of burial of the deceased, repayment of any outstanding debt and executing any will he might have made. A will goes to non-heirs and must not exceed one-third of the estate.

When these have been paid out, what is left is considered to be the estate due to the heirs. In this case, the man’s widow takes one-eighth of all the estate. The remainder is divided into six equal shares, with one share for each of the two daughters and two shares for each of the two sons.

The Black Seed and Its Benefit

Q. I heard of a Hadith that recommends the black cumin seeds, or Nigella seeds. Could you please explain what it is used for and how it should be taken?

Muhassain

A. An authentic Hadith quotes the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying: “Use the black seed, because it helps to cure all illnesses, except for death.” (Related by Al-Bukahri and Muslim) The black seed has been proven to be very useful for chest and lung diseases, particularly asthma.

It can be taken in anyway one can tolerate it. Its taste is very bitter. Therefore, some people grind it and mix it with honey. Some extracts it as oil. In whatever way it is taken, it is useful. Some Muslim doctors have researched its benefits in the US and come up with a list of very useful uses, but this is not available to me.

I should explain that the Prophet’s statement that it cures all illnesses does not mean every single illness. It is a way of speech indicating plenty. It is like what the Qur’an says about the wind that destroyed the Aad people. “It is a wind bearing grievous suffering, bound to destroy everything at its Lord’s behest. Then they were so (utterly wiped out) that nothing could be seen except their dwellings.” (46: 24-25)

Scholars say that the verse means that this wind destroyed everything susceptible to destruction. The verse itself states that their houses remained, but most things were destroyed. Similarly, the black cumin seed is useful in the case of many diseases, but the Prophet did not mean every single illness that was known at his time or will take place in future.

— Arab News Islam 13 October 2003