Arabic (Original)
أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْأَصْبَهَانِيُّ الْحَافِظُ أنا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ أنا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ الْقَطَّانُ ثنا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عِيسَى أنا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ أنا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عِيسَى الْمَدَنِيِّ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ قَالَ كَانَ مِنْ رَأْيِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ ؓ أَنْ يَجْعَلَا الْجَدَّ أَوْلَى مِنَ الْأَخِ وَكَانَ عُمَرُ يَكْرَهُ الْكَلَامَ فِيهِ فَلَمَّا صَارَ عُمَرُ جَدًّا قَالَ هَذَا أَمْرٌ قَدْ وَقَعَ لَا بُدَّ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ كَانَ مِنْ رَأْيِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ ؓ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ الْجَدَّ أَوْلَى مِنَ الْأَخِ فَقَالَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَا تَجْعَلْ شَجَرَةً نَبَتَتْ فَانْشَعَبَ مِنْهَا غُصْنٌ فَانْشَعَبَ فِي الْغُصْنِ غُصْنٌ فَمَا يُجْعَلُ الْغُصْنُ الْأَوَّلُ أَوْلَى مِنَ الْغُصْنِ الثَّانِي وَقَدْ خَرَجَ الْغُصْنُ مِنَ الْغُصْنِ؟ قَالَ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ ؓ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ كَمَا قَالَ زَيْدٌ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ جَعَلَ سَيْلًا سَالَ فَانْشَعَبَتْ مِنْهُ شُعْبَةٌ ثُمَّ انْشَعَبَتْ مِنْهُ شُعْبَتَانِ فَقَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ هَذِهِ الشُّعْبَةَ الْوُسْطَى رَجَعَ أَلَيْسَ إِلَى الشُّعْبَتَيْنِ جَمِيعًا؟ فَقَامَ عُمَرُ ؓ فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ هَلْ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَذْكُرُ الْجَدَّ فِي فَرِيضَةٍ؟ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ ذُكِرَتْ لَهُ فَرِيضَةٌ فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْجَدِّ فَأَعْطَاهُ الثُّلُثَ فَقَالَ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنَ الْوَرَثَةِ؟ قَالَ لَا أَدْرِي قَالَ لَا دَرَيْتَ ثُمَّ خَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَقَالَ هَلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ ذَكَرَ الْجَدَّ فِي فَرِيضَةٍ؟ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ذُكِرَتْ لَهُ فَرِيضَةٌ فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْجَدِّ فَأَعْطَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ السُّدُسَ قَالَ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنَ الْوَرَثَةِ؟ قَالَ لَا أَدْرِي قَالَ لَا دَرَيْتَ قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ وَكَانَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ يَجْعَلُهُ أَخًا حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ ثَلَاثَةً هُوَ ثَالِثُهُمْ فَإِذَا زَادُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَعْطَاهُ الثُّلُثَ وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ؓ يَجْعَلُهُ أَخًا حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ سِتَّةً هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ فَإِذَا زَادُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَعْطَاهُ السُّدُسَ
English Translation
Ahmad ibn Ali al-Asbahani the hafiz informed us: Ibrahim ibn Abdullah narrated to us: Isma'il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith al-Qattan narrated to us: al-Hasan ibn Isa narrated to us: Ibn al-Mubarak informed us: Sufyan narrated from Isa al-Madani from al-Sha'bi who said: It was the opinion of Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) to give the grandfather priority over the brother. Umar disliked discussing it. When Umar himself became a grandfather, he said: 'This is a matter that has occurred; people must know about it.' He sent for Zayd ibn Thabit and asked him. Abu Bakr's view was that the grandfather should be given priority over the brother. Zayd said: 'O Commander of the Faithful, do not say a tree grew and a branch split from it, then another branch split from that branch - what makes the first branch more entitled than the second when the second branch came from the first?' He sent for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him. Ali gave a similar answer to Zayd, except he used the analogy of a stream that flowed, from which a channel branched, then two more channels branched from it. He said: 'Consider, if the middle channel dried up, would the water not return to both channels?' Umar then stood and addressed the people: 'Has any of you heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mention the grandfather in an inheritance case?' A man stood and said he heard the Prophet assign a third. Umar asked who else inherited. The man said he did not know. Umar said: 'Then you know nothing.' He asked again, and another man said the Prophet assigned a sixth. Again, the man did not know who else inherited. Al-Sha'bi said: Zayd treated the grandfather as a brother until there were three including the grandfather; if they exceeded that, he gave him a third. Ali treated him as a brother until there were six including the grandfather; if they exceeded that, he gave him a sixth.