It is impossible to make people understand their ignorance; for it requires knowledge to perceive it and therefore he that can perceive it hath it not.
Jeremy Taylor (1613 - 1667)

I received a very interesting call yesterday in the office. This lady sounded agitated on the phone and close to tears. She claimed that Mahkamah Syariah has told her that her late father's Estate will have to be distributed amongst her three sisters as well as her aunts n uncles (dad's siblings) as her father has no male offspring.
Firstly she asks me if this is true. As I was explaining to her she interrupted me a few times to ask if she can engage our legal services to contest against her uncle and aunts receiving the inheritance. Masha'allah!!!! Out of sheer frustration, I told her " No matter which lawyer you take there is no way for you to oppose the distribution. This is Hukum Allah and is also THE LAW!!!! "

Its amazing how ignorant some people can be not to mention GREEDY!!!! The amount of money to be distributed to her uncles and aunts is a mere fraction of what she and her sisters will be getting and yet ...*sigh* I was gritting my teeth
holding in my frustration while talking to her.
It is our responsibility as Muslims to find out the laws and hukum2 that we will all be subjected to one day or other. And once we become parents it is impertinent that we take the time to explain to our offspring these hukums so that when we are no longer around, they will not fight over all the harta dunia. Then we would literally roll over in our graves. Here's some info for the clueless click at the bottom to learn more.

INFORMATION FOR DISTRIBUTION OF ESTATE:
Under Faraid, there are certain rights of a deceased person vis-à-vis the estate he leaves behind that must be attended to by his heirs. In what order or sequence are these rights arranged?
Order or sequence of rights on estate
When a person dies, those living must do the following with the estate that the deceased leaves behind, in the following order:

**To discharge all his obligations relating to zakat, various kaffarah or penalties for oath, zihar, coition whilst fasting in the month of Ramadan, coition whilst in the state of ihram during haj or umrah, homicide, etc.
**To pay for his funeral expenses.
**To settle all his debts to his fellow beings. The settlement of such debts shall include the performance of the haj on his behalf if he had not already done so in his lifetime, and the payment of maskahwin if payment had not already been made. Even if the deceased died testate, the settlement of all his debts must precede the disposal of his estate that is spelt out in his testament.
**To execute his will. A will is not for a person’s heirs. This was clearly stated by the Messenger of Allah thus: "Surely Allah has given to every one entitled to anything his due, therefore there shall be no bequest for one who inherits".
**The amount of estate provided for in a will for disposal shall not exceed one-third of the remaining estate after the settlement of (i) to (iii) above. This is consistent with the following hadis:
"Surely Allah has ordained that you bequeath to charity one-third of your property upon your death as an addition to your righteous deed." (Narrated by Bukhari).
**To distribute the remaining estate among his heirs after settlement of (i) to (iv) above.

The next of kin of a deceased person are entitled to the deceased’s estate regardless of the amount. The estate must therefore be distributed among them in accordance with the law of Allah except to those who disclaim their right thereto. In the event that a beneficiary is away from the country or is missing, his share of the estate must be set aside for him until his return.
Concealing the estate of a deceased person from those who are entitled to it is an act of deceit. It is haram and cruel to do so. Any beneficiary who is involved in such an act, either directly or indirectly, shall be answerable to Allah in this world and in the hereafter.
A Muslim cannot ignore the rule of Allah and dispose of the estate of a deceased person according to the rule or custom of a particular country.

Who are the beneficiaries ?
Male:
son
grandson (and his direct male descendants)
father
paternal grandfather
brother
half-brother (by the same father)
half-brother (by the same mother)
nephew (brother’s son)
nephew (half-brother’s son)
paternal uncle
father’s half-brother (by the same father)
son of paternal uncle
son of father’s half-brother (by the same father)
husband
master of former slave

Female:
daughter
granddaughter (son’s daughter)
mother
maternal grandmother
paternal grandmother
sister
half-sister (by the same father)
half-sister (by the same mother)
wife
mistress of former slave
(More information)