Islamic law is one of the major legal systems in the world today, yet it is often misunderstood, particularly in the West. This book provides a critical overview of the theory, scope, and practice of Islamic law, taking into account both classical and modern scholarly perspectives in examining the various facets of this key legal system.

The Mahomedan Law of Inheritance According to the School of Shafii is a treatise on the laws of inheritance according to the Shafiʻi School of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. The author, Charles Herbert Withers Payne, was advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements (present-day Malaysia and Singapore). The book, he wrote, was meant to "clear some of the complexity with which this subject is enshrouded" and assist "those who have occasion to deal with problems arising therefrom." This short book is comprised of a general introduction on Muslims and Islamic jurisprudence, followed by five other chapters detailing the rights of sharers, of residuary heirs, and of distant kindred, the three main classes eligible for inheritance. Two appendices provide a table of succession, as well as pedigrees showing all kinships involved in inheritance division. There is also a list of cases cited in the book. Islamic inheritance law is a complex and refined system of rules that developed over several centuries, and that is based on passages in the Qurʼan that specify the fixed fractional shares of a deceased person's estate that are to be awarded to the relatives of that person. The Shafiʻi school was founded by Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (767-820), the third of the four great imams of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. It is credited with organizing the concept of usul al-fiqh (the principles of Islamic jurisprudence). In addition to the Malay Peninsula, the Shafiʻi school predominates in Egypt, East Africa, and Southern Arabia. The Straits Settlements was a British crown colony on the Strait of Malacca. It consisted of four distinct trade centers: Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and Labuan, the first three of which were initially controlled by the British East India Company.

When a person dies, his ownership of his property ends, and is to be given to his heirs. It is Allah's Ta'ala favour upon us that He has not made the disposal of that wealth as charity necessary, but rather, He in His wisdom knows that the death of any person is a great loss to their relatives and an even greater loss to their dependents who relied upon them for provision. That said, Allah Ta'ala also knew that Man has greed. And it is this greed that causes brother to hate brother and sister, and to usurp the rights of the less persuasive. For this reason, Allah has fixed, very clearly in the Qur'an, the allotted shares of the relatives of the deceased. This has been further mapped out in the Ahadith by the Prophet of Allah Ta'ala so as to leave no scope of doubt or leeway for argument in who gets what. Everyone will get their share: No more, no less. This prevents the greedy from getting more than their share and it stops the undefended from receiving less than their allotment. In Islam the concept of the wealth only going to the first born son is seen as oppressive. Islam has also distinguished the different levels of dependency of the closer relatives and has stipulated amounts varying in quantity in different circumstances. The factors that lessen one relative's share is the presence of another relative, who also has a considerable relationship with the deceased. There are times when an allotment may seem unfair, these will also be explained. For example, of two inheriting brothers, one may be financially well off whereas the other is poor. This will not mean that the poorer brother will get everything or more than the richer brother. This is because inheritance is not charity and is given on account of the strength of the relationship not on account of who is more needy. Both brothers in this aspect are equal, and will thus receive an equal share. This book only deals with the financial side of the events around death. For an in-depth look at the rites of passage of the burial please refer to our publication, "What to do when a Muslim Dies".

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