bequest; it is not permissible from it except [one-third of the wealth], unless the heirs permit it. This is the opinion of the majority of the jurists. It is narrated from Masruq, regarding one who emancipates his slave during his fatal illness while having no wealth other than him: 'I would permit it in its entirety; it is something he made for Allah, and I would not reject it.' This is a deviant opinion that contradicts the tradition (athar) and legal reasoning (nazar). For it has been authentically narrated from Imran ibn Husayn that a man from the Ansar emancipated six slaves at the time of his death, and he possessed no property other than them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) summoned them, cast lots among them, emancipated two, and kept four as slaves, and he spoke to him very sternly. This was narrated by Muslim and Abu Dawud. Also, because it is a donation during his fatal illness, it resembles other gifts and charities. The second is that when emancipation involves more than one person and the one-third does not cover them, we complete the one-third in one of them by casting lots. If they are a group, we complete the emancipation for some of them by casting lots, based on the aforementioned hadith of Imran [ibn Husayn]. The third is that if nothing remains of the one-third except a part of a slave, that part specifically is emancipated, and the remainder remains in servitude, according to what we will mention regarding emancipation, if Allah the Almighty wills. The fourth is the establishment of the lottery and its legitimacy, based on the evidence of the hadith of Imran and the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding the slaves among whom he cast lots. As for the method of completing the emancipation: if the slaves are equal in value and there is a valid one-third, such as six slaves whose combined value of every two of them is one-third of the wealth, we designate every two of them as one-third, and we cast lots between them with one share of freedom and two shares of servitude, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did. The two upon whom the share of freedom falls are emancipated, and the others remain in servitude. And if there is a fraction among them, as in the issue of Al-Khiraqi, you cast lots between the two slaves, and whichever of them the lot of freedom falls upon, you multiply his value by three shares. Whatever it reaches, you relate the value of both slaves together to it; whatever results as a ratio is the portion of him that is emancipated. So in this issue, if the lot falls on