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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Al-mizan an Exegesis of the Qur'an (volume Two) Volume 2: Surah Baqarah, Verses 180-182 Bequest is prescribed for you when death approaches one of you, if he leaves behind wealth, for parents and near relatives, according to usage, a duty (incumbent) upon those who guard (against evil) (180). Whoever then alters it after he has heard it, the sin of it then is only upon those who alter it; surely Allah is Hearing, Knowing (181). But he who fears.

an inclination (to a wrong course) or an act of disobedience on the part of the testator, and effects an agreement between the parties, there is no blame on him. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (182). **COMMENTARY ** QUR’AN: Bequest is prescribed for you when death approaches one of you, if he leaves behind wealth: The language is that of an obligatory rule, because al-kitabah (= to write; translated here as "prescribed") is used in the Qur’an always for definitely obligatory laws.

It is further strengthened by the word “a duty” coming at the end of the verse, because duty too is used, like writing and prescription, for compulsory orders. But the word "a duty" is qualified by "upon those who guard (against evil)"; this somewhat weakens the sense of obligatoriness; it would have been more appropriate, in case of obligatoriness, to say, 'a duty' upon the believers'. In any case, it is said that the verse was later abrogated by the verse of inheritance.

If so, then it would only be its "obligatoriness" which was abrogated, not its being liked, recommended. Perhaps, the phrase qualifying "a duty" was used for this very purpose. al- Khayr is wealth; it probably denotes consider­able wealth, not an insignificant amount. al-Ma'ruf (= known; common usage of good deed and favor).

QUR'AN: Whoever then alters it after he has heard it, the sin of it then is only upon those who alter it: The pronoun in "the sin of it" refers to the alteration; all the rest refer to the bequest according to usage; bequest is a masdar and is used both as mas­culine and feminine.

(That is why the pronouns used in the verse are of masculine gender.) " upon those who alter it": Allah did not say 'upon them', because the wording used clearly indicates the nature of sin, that is, alteration of a will; also it paves the way for the next verse.