Leaving a Legacy in Islam: Important Points Christians Should Know
- Call of Love Ministries
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Have you ever thought about what kind of legacy you will leave behind? Does this make you think of financial inheritance for your kids, or hope that your family will tell anecdotes about you to your descendants?
Legacy is understood as an enduring product of a person’s words, actions, and life. Your faith and your worldview impact what you think is the most important legacy to leave behind. As Christ-followers, we should focus on leaving a legacy that glorifies God and reflects our deep belief in Christ.
But our Muslim friends have very different instructions and values about what is important when thinking about what they’ll leave behind.
Leaving a legacy in Islam
Just as with anything in Islam, Muslims first look to Muhammad as a guide for how to live and what legacy to leave behind. The Quran points to Muhammad as an “excellent example” for the Muslim’s life (Surah 33:21). “Whoever obeys the Messenger has truly obeyed Allah…” In a nutshell, every devout Muslim wants their legacy to be modeled after Muhammad.
What do the Quran and Hadith have to say about leaving a legacy?
Inheritance and wills
Inheritance includes material assets that a family leader (the father in Islam) leaves behind.
Having a written will fulfills the wishes of the deceased and makes it easier to distribute the inheritance. When it comes to writing a will, the Quran and Hadith leave Muslims with inconsistent instructions.
“It is prescribed that when death approaches any of you—if they leave something of value—a will should be made in favour of parents and immediate family with fairness. This is an obligation on those who are mindful of Allah.” Surah 2:180
This Hadith verse teaches that Muslims are required to have a will: “Allah's Messenger said, 'It is not permissible for any Muslim who has something to will to stay for two nights without having his last will and testament written and kept ready with him.’’’ (Sahih al-Bukhari 2738)
But then there is a glaring contradiction. Another Hadith records Muhammad excusing himself (Sahih Muslim 1758) from making a will. He purportedly exempted himself with the justification that “prophets do not have heirs.”
Along with these inconsistencies, the Hadith also puts constraints on inheritance. For example, it forbids inheritance to non-believers:
"A Muslim cannot be the heir of a disbeliever, nor can a disbeliever be the heir of a Muslim." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6764).
There is also a large difference between what males and females should inherit. This is part of the inequality between men and women in Islam.
“Allah fixed for the male double the amount inherited by the female, and for each parent a sixth (of the whole legacy) and for the wife an eighth or a fourth and for the husband a half or a fourth.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2747)
Charity, wisdom, and pious offspring are the legacy of a Muslim
The Quran tells Muslims about the most important impact they can leave behind:
“When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son who prays for him." [Muslim]. (Riyad as-Salihin 949)
Notice how the verse implies that deeds “live on.” This highlights an important point – Islam is a works-based religion. Every practice that is part of the Five Pillars of Islam, including zakat (charity giving), is a work to gain more of Allah’s favor.
A Muslim’s continued charity after death and the prayers of a pious son will help the deeds of the deceased Muslim to continue. This allows the Muslim to gain more mercy from Allah and makes it more likely to enter paradise.
Do Muslims care about having an impact and leaving a legacy?
As much as a legacy is emphasized for Muslims, and as much as Muslims need to have children and grandchildren, most Muslims, especially when they become older, worry most about their own fate after death, not the legacy they will leave on earth. The reason for their worry is the lack of assurance. In the Quran, good deeds might earn them salvation from hell and eternal rewards in paradise, but nothing is guaranteed. To learn more about the Islamic paradise, click here.
The only time a Muslim is guaranteed paradise is when they practice Jihad and die for the cause of Allah and Islam. Allah even condemns and threatens Muslims who resist the “good deed” of Jihad, asking: “Do you prefer the life of this world over the Hereafter [Paradise]? The enjoyment of this worldly life is insignificant compared to that of the Hereafter. If you do not march forth, He will afflict you with a painful torment and replace you with other people...” Surah 9:38-39
It is worth adding that the Quran condemns Muslims who are too focused on the world. As a result, Muslims try hard to seek eternal security over leaving a legacy.
Leaving a legacy in Christianity?
On the other hand, the Christian legacy is modeled after the life of Jesus Christ, our Lord, “the originator and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). As Christians, the biblical worldview stems from passages such as Galatians 6:7-8:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
What does the Bible have to say about leaving a legacy?
Material legacy
The Bible encourages us to leave an earthly legacy that aims at investing in the Kingdom of Heaven. Several examples include the commands to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28), to train up children (Proverbs 22:6), and to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). Regarding wealth, the Bible teaches that a good man leaves an inheritance that lasts for generations (Proverbs 13:22).
Spiritual legacy
The “greatest of commands” in the Bible is about our spiritual legacy. First, we are to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind,” and secondly, we are to “love our neighbors as ourselves.” (Matthew 22:36-39) Faith is integral to a Christian’s spiritual legacy. This is clear from Hebrews 11, which describes the legacy of faith left by men and women who were in a covenant with God.
We are also clearly instructed that if we are blessed with children, they are part of our spiritual legacy.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5
Spiritual Inheritance through Christ
The goal of a Muslim is to model their legacy after Muhammad, but a Christian wants their legacy to reflect Christ. The Bible teaches that Christians are citizens of heaven and ought to store up heavenly treasures.
Christians write earthly wills and leave earthly legacies for their children. But most of all, they are themselves heirs to the Kingdom of God, sons and daughters of the Most High. We want to pass down the legacy of the gospel to our children, so they can also be heirs with Christ!
Prayer
Dear Jesus, I ask that you would bring many Muslims out of the dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom of Heaven. May the Quranic legacy and false hope of paradise pale in comparison to the eternal inheritance you have promised to those who believe in You. Amen!
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