ANSWER: For men: "We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God." For
women: "We will all, verily, abide by the Will of God."
4. QUESTION: Should a man go on a journey without specifying a time for
his return--without indicating, in other words, the expected period of his
absence--and should no word be heard of him thereafter, and all trace of
him be lost, what course should be followed by his wife?
ANSWER: Should he have omitted to fix a time for his return despite being
aware of the stipulation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas in this regard, his wife
should wait for one full year, after which she shall be free either to
adopt the course that is praiseworthy, or to choose for herself another
husband. If, however, he be unaware of this stipulation, she should abide
in patience until such time as God shall please to disclose to her his
fate. By the course that is praiseworthy in this connection is meant the
exercise of patience.
5. QUESTION: Concerning the holy verse: "When We heard the clamour of the
children as yet unborn, We doubled their share and decreased those of the
rest."
ANSWER: According to the Book of God, the estate of the deceased is
divided into 2,520 shares, which number is the lowest common multiple of
all integers up to nine, and these shares are then distributed into seven
portions, each of which is allocated, as mentioned in the Book, to a
particular category of heirs. The children, for example, are allotted nine
blocks of 60 shares, comprising 540 shares in all. The meaning of the
statement "We doubled their share" is thus that the children receive a
further nine blocks of 60 shares, entitling them to a total of 18 blocks
all told. The extra shares that they receive are deducted from the
portions of the other categories of heirs, so that, although it is
revealed, for instance, that the spouse is entitled to "eight parts
comprising four hundred and eighty shares", which is the equivalent of
eight blocks of 60 shares, now, by virtue of this rearrangement, one and a
half blocks of shares, comprising 90 shares in all, have been subtracted
from the spouse's portion and reallocated to the children, and similarly
in the case of the others. The result is that the total amount subtracted
is equivalent to the nine extra blocks of shares allotted to the children.
6. QUESTION: Is it necessary that the brother, in order to qualify for his
portion of the inheritance, be descended from both the father and the
mother of the deceased, or is it sufficient merely that there be one
parent in common?
ANSWER: If the brother be descended from the father he shall receive his
share of the inheritance in the prescribed measure recorded in the Book;
but if he be descended from the mother, he shall receive only two thirds
of his entitlement, the remaining third reverting to the House of Justice.
This ruling is also applicable to the sister.
7. QUESTION: Amongst the provisions concerning inheritance it hath been
laid down that, should the deceased leave no offspring, their share of the
estate is to revert to the House of Justice. In the event of other
categories of heirs, such as the father, mother, brother, sister and
teacher being similarly absent, do their shares of the inheritance also
revert to the House of Justice, or are they dealt with in some other
fashion?
ANSWER: The sacred verse sufficeth. He saith, exalted be His Word: "Should
the deceased leave no offspring, their share shall revert to the House of
Justice" etc. and "Should the deceased leave offspring, but none of the
other categories of heirs that have been specified in the Book, they shall
receive two thirds of the inheritance and the remaining third shall revert
to the House of Justice" etc. In other words, where there are no
offspring, their allotted portion of the inheritance reverteth to the
House of Justice; and where there are offspring but the other categories
of heirs are lacking, two thirds of the inheritance pass to the offspring,
the remaining third reverting to the House of Justice. This ruling hath
both general and specific application, which is to say that whenever any
category of this latter class of heirs is absent, two thirds of their
inheritance pass to the offspring and the remaining third to the House of
Justice.