Ahmad stated this textually in the narration of Ibn Ziyad, saying: A man is obligated to provide maintenance for [his paternal cousin] (20), but he is not obligated to provide maintenance for his sister's daughter. Our companions mentioned another narration, [stating] that maintenance is not obligatory upon the heir in this instance, based on the statement of Ahmad: The paternal aunt and the maternal aunt have no entitlement to maintenance. However, the Qadi said: This narration is interpreted as referring to the paternal aunt through the mother, for he (21) does not inherit from her because he is the son of her brother through her mother. Al-Khiraqi mentioned that a man is responsible for the maintenance of the one who emancipated him (his mu'tiq) because he is his heir. It is known that the emancipated person (mu'taq) does not inherit from the one who emancipated him, nor is he obligated to provide his maintenance. Therefore, on this basis, a man is obligated to provide maintenance for his paternal aunt (through both parents or through his father), his paternal cousin, and his sister's daughter, but they are not obligated to provide his maintenance. This is the correct view, Allah willing, due to the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And upon the heir is the like of that}. Each one of these is an heir.

1384 - Issue: He said: (If the child has a mother and a grandfather, then the mother is responsible for one-third of the maintenance, and the grandfather is responsible for two-thirds of the maintenance.)

The summary of this is that if the child has no father, maintenance is upon his heir. If he has two heirs, maintenance is upon them according to the proportion of their inheritance from him. If they are three or more, maintenance is [distributed] among them according to the proportion of their inheritance from him. Thus, if he has a mother and a grandfather, the mother is responsible for one-third and the remainder is upon the grandfather, because they inherit from him in this manner. Abu Hanifah held this view. Al-Shafi'i said: The entire maintenance is upon the grandfather because he is the sole agnate (ta'sib), so he is like the father. We have mentioned another narration from Ahmad, which is that maintenance is exclusively upon the agnates (asabat). Our argument is the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And upon the heir is the like of that} (1). The mother is an heir, so [the obligation] is upon her by textual proof (nass). Also, because it is a matter entitled by lineage, it is not specific to the grandfather to the exclusion of the mother, like the female heir.