On his father’s authority, said that his grandfather reported: Rabab ibn Hudhayfah married a woman and three sons were born to him from her. Their mother then died. They inherited her houses and had the right of inheritance of her freed slaves. Amr ibn al-‘As was the agnate of her sons. He sent them to Syria where they died. Amr ibn al-‘As then came. A freed slave of hers died and left some property. Her brothers disputed with him and brought the case to Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Whatever property a son or a father receives as an heir will go to his agnates, whoever they may be. He then wrote a document for him, witnessed by AbdurRahman ibn Awf, Zayd ibn Thabit and one other person. When AbdulMalik became caliph, they presented the case to Hisham ibn Isma’il or Isma’il ibn Hisham (the narrator is doubtful). He sent them to ‘Abd al-Malik who said: This is the decision which I have already seen. The narrator said: So he (‘Abd al-Malik) made the decision on the basis of the document of Umar ibn al-Khattab, and that is still with us till this moment.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The neighbour is most entitled to the right of pre-emption, and he should wait for its exercise even if he is absent, when the two properties have one road.
Gladden people and do not scare them; make things easy and do not make them difficult.