Forensic Medicine and its Legal Implication on Selected Matters in Islamic Law of Inheritance

One of the driving forces behind the utilization of a reason-based approach in Islamic law is the evolution of a new occurrence that needs religious verdicts. The modern era is highly characterized by new developments in technology that have reshaped the face of many disciplines including medicine. Because Ijtihād (independent reasoning) has played a major role in the development of the Islamic law of succession across ages, this study focuses on the legal implications of medical forensic evidence on some issues under the Islamic law of inheritance. The research adopts a qualitative approach through content analysis of the available literature on the subject. Some of the medical-related matters sampled by the study are the establishment of lineage through DNA, murder through contagious disease, and transgender. The legal implications of the above medical matters are discussed as they relate to kinship as one of the causes of inheritance, killing the deceased as one of the impediments to inheritance, and the gender-based sharing formula in inheritance. The study recommends further study into other medical aspects with legal implications on mῑrāth.