The miffing
perfon is to be
declaredade-
fun3,
at the end o f
ninety years
from his birth:
when his wife
is to obferve
an edit o f widowhood
;
and his property
is divided
among
h u fb an d disappears-, i t is p o ffib le th a t h e m a y re -ap p e a r , w h e r e a s it
is n o t p offib le th a t an im p o te n t p e r fo n fh o u ld r e c o v e r h is v i r i l i t y , aftei!
h is im p o ten c e h as c o n t in u e d fo r a b o v e a y e a r ..
W hen o n e h u n d r ed ; and tw e n t y y e a r s fhall h a v e elapfed, from th e
d a y o f th e m if lm g p e r fo n ’ s b ir th , h e is to b e d e c la red defunbl*.— T h e
c om p ile r o f Heddya remarks- th a t Haffian has related th is as a n op inion
o f Haneefa: A c c o r d in g to th e Zdhir Rawdyet, th is p o in t is to be d e termined
- b y th e d e cea fe o f th e eo-êvah o f th e m iffin g p e r fo n , o r o f
h is eq u a ls 1— th a t is , th o fe w h o are k n o w n to re fem b le h im in h e a lth
and h ab its o f b o d y . I t is^recorded f rom Aboo Toofaf th a t th e te rm is on e
h u n d r ed y e a r s .— S om e o f th e le a rn ed , a g a in , fix i t at ninety y e a r s .
Analogy req u ire s th a t the- te rm fh o u ld n o t b e fix ed a t a n y p a r ticu la r
p e r io d , fu c h as one hundred y e a r s , o r ninety y e a r s , f in c e to f ix a t im e
m e r e ly fr om judgment ox opinion is i l le g a l : b u t y e t it - isT eq uifite th a t it
b e fix ed by- fem e fp e c ifie ftan d a rd , fu c h a s -th e d cm ife o f th e m iffin g
p e r fo n ’ s c o -e v a ls , b e e au fe , i f n o c r ite r io n w h a te v e r w e r e 'e f ta b l ilh e d ,
his- d e c e a fe cou ld 1 n e v e r b e d eclared . T h e benevolence o f th e la w , h o w e
v e r , fu g g e f ls th a t th e term- b e f ix e d : at- ninety y e a r s , as th is is th e
fh o r te f t fixed te rm m entioned -)-, and' it is d ifficu lt .to afoertain a n y
th in g r e fp e f t in g th e c ir c um f ta n c e s o f th e m iffin g , p e r fo n ’ s co -e v a ls or-
equals;
U p o n th e d e a th o f th e m if f in g p e r fon B e in g d u ly d e c la red , Eis
w i f e m u l l o b fe rv e h e r edit fo r fo u r month's and te n d a y s fr om th e
d a te o f th e d e c la ra tio n , fu c h b e in g th e edit' o f widowhood', and h is
p ro p e r ty is to b e d iv id e d 'am o n g fu c h o f h is h e irs as are th en l i v in g :
t h e c a fe , th e r e fo r e , is' th e fam e as i f h e had' a c tu a l ly died u p on th e
- * T h is is the rule fn the Sonna. T h e compiler o f the Heddya, however, has fixed it
at ninety years, as appeals a little below.
i By any of the law doctors or commentators.
in ftan t
in ftan t o f th e d e c la ra tion , and h e n c e a n y p e r fon w h o died p re v iou s to
th e d ec lara tion doe s n o t in h e r it o f h im .
I f th e re la tio n o f a m iffin g p e r fo n d ie d u r in g h is d ifapp ea ran ce,
th e m if f in g p e r fon is n o t an h e ir , b e eau fe h is e x if te n c e a t th e t im e is1
eftab liffie d m e r e ly from circumjlance-s, as h a v in g b een o n c e k n o w n ,
and co n feq u en t'ly a c c o u n te d to c o n t in u e fo lo n g as n o th in g appears to
t h e - c o n t r a r y : 1— n ow m e r e circumftaniial e v id e n c e ' is b u t weak, an d
th e re fo r e in capa ble o f c o n f t itu t in g p r o o f to a c la im ( t h a t 'i s , to th e
e f ta b li ff im e n t o f a th in g as y e t « « -e fta b lilh e d )— a lth o u g h i t c o n f t itu te
p r o o f fu ffic ien t fo r repulfton, ( th a t is to fa y , to p r o v e 'th e co n tin u a n c e
o f a th in g already ejiablijhcd!) W i t h r e fp e f t to th e e x p re ffio n “ th e
m iffin g p e r fon is n o t an h e i r ,” — it m ean s -th a t, w h a te v e r m a y b e h is
p o r tio n o f - in h e r ita n c e , h e does n o t o b tain a p ro p e r ty in i t , b u t r it is
h e ld in fu fp e n c e ;— b e eau fe his b e in g in life is d o u b t fu l ; and th is " is a
fu ffic ie n t c a u fe o f fu fp e n c e .— I f , therefore,- h e a f te rw a rd s appear to
b e l iv in g , it g o e s t o - h im ; 1— b u t ' i f th e r e b e n o e v id en c e o f h is -being
in life w h e n ; n in e t y yea rs- h a v e e lap fed , h is portion,- w h i c h has been
fo - fu fp en d ed , is th en to b e d iftr ib u ted am o n g th o fe w h o w e r e h e irs to
th e o r ig in a l p rop rie to r-at th e p e r io d o f his d em ife ; -as in th e c a fe o f
em b r y o s in th e w om b ; In th e fam e m an n e r , a lfo , i f a p e r fo n m a k e a
b eq u e ft- to a -m iflin g p e r fo n , and th e te fta to r d ie , th e b e q u e f t does not
ta k e p la c e , b u t' is h e ld in fu fp e n c e , beeaufe bequejl ftan d s u p on a ftm ila r
fo o t in g w i th inheritance:
I t is a ru le th a t i f th e r e b c a n o th e r E e ir befid e the- m if f in g p e r fo n ;
w h o is n o t e n t ir e ly p re c lud ed b y th e m if f in g 'p e r fo n , b u t w h o fe r ig h t is
d im in ifh ed b y h is in te r v en t io n , th is h e ir is to r e c e iv e th a t w h ic h is
th e leaft o f th e tw o portions o f in h e r ita n c e , and th e remaindfer is h e ld
in fu fp e n c e ; I f ; o i r t h e o th e r h an d , th e re ' be an o th e r h e ir ; w h o is
e n t ir e ly p re c lu d ed b y th e miffing perfon, n o p art o f th e in h e r ita n c e is
to be paid to h im , b u t th e whole, portion o f- in h e r ita n c e m u f t b e h e ld
in fu fp en c e . A n e x am p le , in illu ft ra t io n o f th is c a fe ; is as fo l low s .
A p e r fon
his living
heirs.
A milling perfon’s
right of
inheritance
from a relation
cannot be
eftablilhed
duringhisdif-
appearance:
but his portion
is held in
fufpence ;
and, at the
end o f ninety -
years ( if he:
do not appear
in the inte'*
rim) is divided
among',
the other-heirs.
Difpofal of inheritance
in
cafe o f a. coheir.
-