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The life-grant (umra): a gift of a thing for the lifetime of a person

العُمْرَى

In the lexicon, umra is what a man is given for the length of his life, or the lifetime of the grantor. For the Hanafis it is the owner's making a thing that he owns the possession of another for the life of one of the two; for the Malikis and Shafi'is it is the owner's giving of something he owns to a person for the life of the grantee 1. It differs from loan of use, the gift of a palm's fruit, the gift of milk, and the ruqba (mutual life-grant) 2. It is permitted in general on the report of Jabir, and it is a form of gift that needs offer and taking possession. The jurists differ on whether it transfers ownership or use: the Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that it transfers ownership at once, while the Malikis hold it transfers the use 2 3. The Shafi'is distinguish its forms: if the owner says 'I give you this for your life, and when you die it goes to your heirs', it is a gift with ownership passing to the heirs, and the newer Shafi'i view treats a bare grant for life as a gift 3.

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At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
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The poor and the workerFamily, marriage and kinship

Summary

In the lexicon, umra is what a man is given for the length of his life. In the usage of the jurists it is the owner's giving of a thing to a person for the lifetime of the grantee 1.

How it differs from related grants

It differs from loan of use, the gift of a palm's fruit, the gift of a ewe's milk and the ruqba 2.

Its validity and nature

It is permitted in general on the report of Jabir; it is a gift and needs offer and taking possession. The Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that it transfers ownership at once, while the Malikis hold it transfers only use 2 3.

The Shafi'i forms

If the owner says 'I give you this for your life, and when you die it goes to your heirs', it is a gift and ownership passes to the heirs; if he says 'I give it to you for your life', the newer view makes it a gift 3.

Where to look further

Gifts are treated under «hiba» and loan of use under «ariya» 3.

People and things also explored

A Separation· Taj Mahal· Abawan (the two parents)· Justice among co-wives· Obstructing a marriage (adl): the guardian and the husband· Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)· Agriculture in Islam· Ahl al-Nasab (the kin by descent, and who counts as kin in bequests and endowments)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11818
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11819
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.11820
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The life-grant (umra): a gift of a thing for the lifetime of a person”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/umra-grant/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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