their gift. It was with this that the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - provided the reason when he said: "Would it please you if they were equal in their righteousness toward you?" He said: "Yes." He replied: "Then treat them equally." This is not found in others. Furthermore, the parent has the right to retract what he has given his child, so he is able to treat them equally by taking back what he gave to some of them, whereas this is not possible with others. Moreover, because parents have such intense love for their children and are accustomed to spending their wealth on them, they compete for it, and it is very hard for them to see some favored over others, whereas others do not contest them in this; therefore, it is not correct to draw an analogy between them. Furthermore, there is no text regarding others. Additionally, the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - knew that Bashir had a wife, yet he did not order him to give her anything when he commanded him to treat his children equally, nor did he ask him, "Do you have an heir other than your child?"

Section: The mother, in the prohibition of favoring some children over others, is like the father, based on the saying of the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: "Fear Allah and treat your children with justice." She is one of the two parents, so she is prohibited from showing preference, just like the father. Also, the jealousy and enmity that result from the father designating some of his children are found to the same extent in the mother designating some of her children; therefore, the same ruling as his is established for her in this regard.

Section: Al-Khiraqi’s statement: "He is ordered to retract it," indicates that the father has the right to retract what he has gifted to his child. This is the apparent position of the Madhhab of Ahmad, regardless of whether he intended equality among the children by his retraction or did not intend it. This is the school of Malik, al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, and Abu Thawr. There is another narration from Ahmad: He does not have the right to retract it. This is the position of the Ashab al-Ra'y, al-Thawri, and al-'Anbari, based on the saying of the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: "The one who retracts his gift is like a dog that returns to its vomit" (24). It is agreed upon. From Umar ibn al-Khattab - may Allah be pleased with him - it is said: "Whoever gives a gift, intending by it to uphold kinship ties or as charity, he may not retract it; and whoever gives a gift intending by it a reward, he remains upon his gift."