Njia nyingine ya kumiliki mali ni urithi, ambao umethibitishwa na andiko lenye uhakika (Qat'i) la Qur'ani, na una kanuni maalum za kiuandishi ambazo hazifungamani na mjadala wa akili. Ingawa Qur'ani imeeleza maelezo ya urithi, kanuni hizi za kina ni miongozo ya jumla. Allah (SWT) anasema,

Another means of property ownership is inheritance, which is established by the definite (Qat’i) text of the Qur’an, and it has certain literal rules which are not subject to reasoning. Although the Qur’an has stated the details of inheritance, these detailed rules are general guidelines. Allah (swt) says,

“Kuhusu (urithi wa) watoto wenu: kwa mwanamume ni sawa na sehemu ya wanawake wawili, na ikiwa (watoto hao) ni wanawake zaidi ya wawili, basi wao wanapata theluthi mbili ya urithi.” [An-Nisa: 11] Tunaelewa kanuni nyingi kutokana na kauli Yake: tunaelewa kwamba mtoto wa kiume anachukua mara mbili ya anachochukua mtoto wa kike. Pia tunaelewa kwamba mtoto wa mtoto wa kiume (mjukuu wa kiume) hutendewa kama mtoto pale ambapo hakuna watoto (walio hai), kwa sababu watoto wa mtoto wa kiume wanajumuishwa katika neno ‘watoto.’ Hii ni tofauti na watoto wa binti, ambao hawatendewi kama watoto wa mtoto wa kiume pale ambapo hakuna watoto (walio hai), kwa sababu watoto wa binti hawajumuishwi kiisimu katika neno ‘watoto.’ Tunaelewa pia kwamba, ikiwa watoto ni wanawake na ni zaidi ya wawili, basi wanashiriki katika theluthi mbili ya urithi. Mtume (saw) alimpa wanawake wawili sehemu sawa na wale walio zaidi ya wawili, na Maswahaba (ra) walifikia Ijmaa (makubaliano) juu ya jambo hilo. Kwa hiyo kanuni kuhusu wanawake wawili ni kanuni ile ile kwa wanawake zaidi ya wawili. Kanuni hizi zimefahamika kutokana na maana ya jumla ya aya. Kwa mujibu wa kanuni hizi, mrithi anastahili sehemu yake ya urithi. Hivyo basi, mojawapo ya njia za kumiliki mali ni urithi kwa mujibu wa kanuni zake, ambazo zimefafanuliwa kwa kina katika Qur’an, Sunnah na Ijmaa ya Maswahaba (ra).

“Concerning (the inheritance) for your children: to the male is the equivalent of the portion of two females, and if they (children) were women more than two, then theirs is two-thirds of the inheritance.” [An-Nisa: 11] We understand many rules from His speech. We understand that the male child takes double that which the female child takes. We also understand that the child of the son is treated as the child in cases where there are no (living) children, because the children of the male child (son) are included in the word ‘children.’ This is contrary to the children of the daughter, who are not treated like the children of the son where there are no (living) children. Because the children of the daughter are not included linguistically in the word ‘children.’We understand also that if the children were females, and more than two in number, then they share in twothirds of the inheritance. The Prophet (pbuh) made for the two females a portion equivalent to those who are more than two, and the Sahabah (companions) (ra) made Ijma’a (consensus) on that matter. So the rule in regard to the two females is the same rule for more than two females. These rules have been understood from the general meaning of the verse. According to these rules, the inheritor deserves his portion of the inheritance. Thus, one of the means of property ownership is the inheritance according to its rules, which are detailed in the Qur’an, Sunnah and the Ijma’a of the Sahabah (ra).

Urithi ni mojawapo ya njia ambazo mali huvunjwa na kugawanywa; ingawa kuvunjwa kwa mali si Illah (sababu) ya urithi, bali ni udhihirisho wa uhalisia wake. Mara tu mali inaporuhusiwa kumilikiwa, inaweza kisha kujilimbikiza mikononi mwa watu wachache wakati wa uhai wao. Ili mkusanyiko huo wa mali usiendelee baada ya kifo chao, basi ni lazima kuwepo na njia ya kugawanya mali hiyo miongoni mwa watu. Katika uhalisia inaonekana kwamba urithi ndiyo njia ya kugawanya mali hii kiasili. Kupitia uchunguzi, inadhihirika kuwa kuna kesi tatu za urithi ambazo kwazo mali huvunjwa:

Inheritance is one of the means by which the wealth is broken up; though the breaking up of the wealth is not an Illah (reason) for the inheritance, rather it is a manifestation of its reality. Once the wealth has been allowed to be possessed, it may then accumulate in the hands of a few individuals during their life. In order that such accumulation of wealth does not continue after their death, it is then necessary to have a means to divide the wealth amongst the people. It is observed in reality that the inheritance is the means of dividing this wealth naturally. Through examination, it is apparent that there are three cases of inheritance by which the wealth is broken up:

a. Kisa cha kwanza ni pale warithi wanapochukua mali yote ya urithi kwa mujibu wa sheria za urithi, ambapo mali yote inagawanywa miongoni mwao.

a. The first case is when the inheritors take the whole inheritance according to the laws of inheritance, whereby all the wealth is distributed amongst them.

b. Kesi ya pili ni pale ambapo hakuna warithi wanaostahiki kuchukua mali yote kwa mujibu wa kanuni za urithi. Mfano wa kesi hiyo ni pale mume anapofariki akiwacha mke peke yake, au mke anapofariki akiwacha mume peke yake. Katika hali kama hizi, mke huchukua robo tu ya urithi, na mume huchukua nusu tu ya mali, huku sehemu iliyobaki ya urithi katika kesi zote mbili ikiachwa kwa Bait ul-Mal.

b. The second case is when there are no inheritors who are entitled to take the whole property according to the rules of inheritance. Such a case would be if a husband died leaving behind only a wife or a wife died leaving behind only a husband. In such instances the wife takes only a quarter of the inheritance, and the husband takes only half of the property, while the rest of the inheritance in both cases is left to the Bait ul-Mal.

c. Hali ya tatu ni pale ambapo hakuna mrithi kabisa, na katika hali hii mali yote huwekwa katika Bait ul-Mal, yaani huachwa kwa Serikali.

c. The third case is that when there is absolutely no inheritor at all, and in this case the whole property is put in the Bait ul-Mal, in other words it is left to the State.

Mali hivyo basi inagawanywa na mali inahamishiwa kwa warithi, ambapo mzunguko wa mali unaendelea katika mzunguko wa kiuchumi miongoni mwa watu. Mali haibaki mikononi mwa mtu fulani ambapo utajiri hujilimbikiza.

The wealth is thus broken up and the property is transferred to the inheritors, where the exchange of the property resumes in an economic cycle amongst the people. The property is not kept in the hands of a particular person where the wealth accumulates.

Urithi ni njia ya kisheria ya kumiliki mali, kwa hiyo yeyote anayerithi kitu anakimiliki kisheria. Hivyo basi, urithi ni miongoni mwa njia za kumiliki mali ambazo Shari'ah ya Kiislamu imeziruhusu.

Inheritance is a legal means of property ownership, so anybody who inherits a thing owns it legally. Thus the inheritance is one of the means of property ownership, which the Islamic Shari’ah has permitted.