M. H. Shakir, The Holy Quran; Arabic Text and English Translation; Foot-notes by M. H. Shakir (1974)
for the free, and the slave for the slave, and the female for the female, but if any remission is made to any one by his (aggrieved) brother, then prosecution (for the bloodwit) should be made according to usage, and payment should be made to him in a good manner; this is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy; so whoever exceeds the limit after this, he shall have a painful chastisement.
179. And there is life for you in (the law of) retaliation, O men of understanding, that you may guard yourselves.
180. 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).
181. 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.
182. 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.
* Making of bequest or will is obligatory in Islam. The Holy Prophet has said that if you had no possession other than a shirt, even then bequest was incumbent. It is not possible to imagine that when the Quran and the Holy Prophet have emphasized on making of a will, the Holy Prophet himself departed from this world without making a will of his succession. There is not the slightest doubt that the Holy Prophet nominated Ali as his successor and Khalit and willed away Bagh-e-Fidhek to Fatemah.
