Hiba.pdf

HIBA

1. HIBA: A GIFT DEED

2. Introduction
•InMuslimlaw,giftsarecalled“hiba”.ThegiftsinIndiaare
governedbyTransferofPropertyAct,1872.However,the
provisionofTransferofPropertyAct,1872doesnotapply
toMuslimlaw.TheEnglishterm,‘gift’isofawider
connotationandappliestoalltransactionswhereone
transfer’sone’spropertytoanotherwithoutany
consideration.Thetermhibahasanarrowmeaning.
•AccordingtoAmeerAli,“Ahibaisavoluntarygiftwithout
considerationofpropertyorthesubstanceofthingbyone
persontoanothersoastoconstitutethedonethe
proprietorofthesubject-matterofthegift.”Muslimlaw
allowsaMuslimtogiveawayhisentirepropertybyagift
inter-vivos,evenwiththespecificobjectofdisinheritinghis
heirs.[Abdulvs.Ahmed,(1881)8IA25]

3. Essentials of a Hiba
AccordingtoAmeerAli,ahibawillbevalidifthe
followingconditionsarefulfilled:-
•Themanifestationofthewishtogiveonthepart
ofthedonor,
•Acceptanceofthegift,expressorimplied,bythe
donee,and
•Takingofpossessionofthesubject-matterofthe
giftbythedonee,eitheractuallyor
constructively.[Jamelavs.AbdulRahman,2001
Guj.175]

4. Capacity to make a Hiba
1.Mentalcapacity–EveryMuslim,maleorfemale,
marriedorunmarried,whohasattainedtheageof
majorityandwhoisofsoundmindhasthemental
capacitytomakeagift.
•TheruleofMuslimlawofmajority,i.e.attainmentof
puberty,doesnotapplytogifts.
•Apersonofunsoundmindcanmakeavalidgiftduring
lucidintervals.
•TheMuslimlaw-giversrecognizethedoctrineofikrash
orcompulsion,andagift-deedexecutedunder
compulsionisnotvalid.Insuchacasethegiftis
voidable,anditcanbeavoidedbythedonorwhose
consentwassoobtained.

5. •2.Financialcapacity–TheMalikisholdtheviewthata
personunderinsolventcircumstancesorextremely
involvedcircumstanceshavenocapacitytomakeagift.
•Ontheotherhand,theHanafisholdtheviewthat
insolvencydoesnotcreateanincapacitytomakeagift,
butthekazihasthepowertorendersuchgiftnugatory
ifitismadewithaviewtodefraudingthecreditors.
•TheIndianscourtfollowtheHanafiview.Ineverygift,
theremustbeabonafideintentiononthepartofthe
donortotransferpropertytothedonee.And,ifagift
ismadewithanintentiontodefraudthecreditors,the
giftIinvalid.[Abdulvs.MirMd,(1886)11IA10]

6. Subject-matter of Gift
•Allformsofpropertyoverwhichdominion
couldbeexercised,oranythingwhichcould
betakenintopossession,orwhichcouldexist
asaspecificentity,orasanenforceableright,
maybethesubject-matterofavalidgift.
Muslimlaw,inthiscontext,makesno
distinctionbetweenancestralorself-acquired
orbetweenmovableandimmovableproperty.

7. Gift of Musha
•Theword“musha”meansanundividedshareorpartofa
property,movableorimmovable.AmongtheShafisandIthana
Asharis,thegiftofmushaisvalid,ifthedonorwithdrawshis
dominionandallowsthedoneetoexercisecontrol.[Sadiqvs.
Hashim,(1916)43IA212]
•ButtheruleisotherwiseamongtheHanafis.Thegeneralruleis
thuslaiddownintheHedaya,“Agiftofapartofathingwhichis
capableofadivisionisnotvalidunlessthesaidpartisdividedoff
andseparatedfromthepropertyofthedonor,butagiftofan
indivisiblethingisvalid.”
•Thedoctrineofmushahasbeensubjecttomuchcriticism.Ithas
beensaidthatthedoctrineis“whollyunadaptedtoaprogressive
society”.[SheikhMd.vs.Zabeda,(1889)16IA205]Thedoctrine
hasbeenconfinedtowithinthestrictestrulesbyjudicial
interpretationandhasbeencut-downconsiderably.

8. Donee
•UndertheMuslimlaw,agiftmaybemadetoany
personwithoutanydistinctionofage,sexor
religion.
•UndertheHanafilaw,thedoneemustbemustbe
legallyinexistenceatthetimeofhiba.Thus,agift
toanunbornperson,onenotinexistence,either
actuallyorpresumably,isinvalid.
•UndertheShialaw,agifttoanunbornperson
canbevalidlymadeprovidedthegiftcommences
withapersoninexistence.

9. Formalities: Delivery of Possession
•UnderMuslimlaw,agiftmaybemadeorally
orinwriting,irrespectiveofthefactwhether
thepropertyismovableorimmovable.
[Ibrahimvs.NoorAhmed,1984Guj.126]The
onlyformalitythatisessentialforthevalidity
ofaMuslimgiftis“takingapossessionofthe
subject-matterofgiftbythedoneeither
actuallyorconstructively”.[Mohammedvs.
Fakr,(1922)49IA195]

10. Who can Challenge a Hibaor Gift
•Astrangercannotchallengethevalidityofa
giftonthegroundthatthegiftisbadasno
deliveryofpossessionhasbeenmade.
•Agiftonthisgroundcanbechallengedonly
whentheissueisraisedbetweenthedonoror
thoseclaimingunderhimononesideandthe
doneandthoseclaimingunderhimonthe
other.

11. Conditional or Contingent Hibaor
Gifts
•Thecontingentorconditionalgiftsarethose
whicharemadedependentfortheiroperation
upontheoccurrenceofacontingency.A
contingencyisapossibility,achance,anevent,
whichmayormaynothappen.InMuslimlaw,
contingentorconditionalgiftsarevoid.
•InMuslimlaw,agiftisnotrenderedinvalid,by
involvinganinvalidcondition.Hanafilawclearly
laysdownthatinsuchacasethegiftisvalidand
theconditionisvalid.

12. Revocation of Gifts
•Althoughthereisatraditionwhichindicates
thattheProphetwasagainsttherevocationof
gifts,itisawell-establishedruleofMuslimlaw
thatallvoluntarytransactions,includinggifts,
arerevocable.

13. Modes of Revocation
•Revocationofgiftsbeforethedeliveryof
possession
•Revocationofgiftsafterthedeliveryof
possession

14. Revocation of gifts before the delivery
of possession
•UnderMuslimlaw,allgiftsarerevocablebefore
thedeliveryofpossessionisgiventothedone.
ThefactofthematteristhatunderMuslimlaw
nogiftiscompletetillthedeliveryofpossession
ismade,andtherefore,inallthosecaseswhere
possessionhasnotbeentransferred,thegiftis
incomplete.Therevocationofsuchagift,
therefore,merelymeansthatthedonorhas
changedhismindanddoesnotwanttocomplete
itbythedeliveryofpossession.

15. Revocation of gifts after the delivery
of possession
•Meredeclarationofrevocationbythedonor,or
institutionofasuit,oranyotheraction,isnot
sufficienttorevokeagift.Untiladecreeofthecourtis
passedrevokingthegift,thedoneeisentitledtouse
thepropertyinanymanner,hecanalsoalienateit.
[Mahboobvs.Abdul,1964Raj250]
•Therevocationofagiftisapersonalrightofthedonor,
and,therefore,agiftcannotberevokedbyhisheirs
afterhisdeath.Agiftcanalsonotberevokedafterthe
deathofthedonee.(Therearesomeexceptionsin
HanafiSchool)