The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I am closer to every believer than his own self. Whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, they are my responsibility. Whoever leaves behind wealth, it goes to his heirs. I am the guardian of whoever has no guardian, I inherit his wealth and ransom him from captivity. The maternal uncle is the guardian of whoever has no guardian, he inherits his wealth and ransoms him from captivity."
قال رسول الله ﷺ: أنا أولى بكل مؤمن من نفسه، فمن ترك دينا أو ضيعة فإلي، ومن ترك مالا فلورثته، وأنا مولى من لا مولى له، أرث ماله، وأفك عانه. والخال مولى من لا مولى له، يرث ماله، ويفك عانه.
Abu Dawud (2900) and Ibn Majah (2634) both narrated it from the hadith of Hammad bin Zayd, from Budayl bin Maysara, from Ali bin Abu Talha, from Rashid bin Saad, from Abu Amir Hawzani, from Miqdam Shami, who related it. The wording is that of Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah abridged it. Daraqutni (4/85-86) also narrated it by this route, and Hakim (4/344) graded it sahih according to the criteria of the two sheikhs (Bukhari and Muslim), as did Bayhaqi (6/214). Dhahabi contested this, saying, "Bukhari did not narrate from Ali bin Abu Talha, and Ahmad said, He has some objectionable narrations." I say, he is disputed, but his hadith is hasan.Shuba also narrated it from Budayl, and in it, "The maternal uncle inherits from one who has no heir." Abu Dawud (2899) and Ibn Majah (2738) narrated it, and Ibn Hibban (6035) graded it sahih. Ibn Abu Hatim heard Abu Zura mention the hadith of Miqdam bin Maadi Kareeb, and he said, "It is a hasan hadith." Ilal (2/50). However, Bayhaqi found fault with it on account of inconsistency, and reported from Yahya bin Main that he considered the hadith "The maternal uncle inherits from one who has no heir" to be invalid, meaning the hadith of Miqdam. He said, there is no strong narration of it in it. End of quote.You have now learned which of the imams graded this hadith sahih or hasan, and this is the position to be relied upon, for Ali bin Abu Talha, the freedman of Banu Abbas, has a hasan hadith. Abu Dawud said, "He is, Allah willing, sound in his hadith, but he holds a bad opinion." Nasai said, "There is no harm in him." Ibn Hibban listed him among the trustworthy narrators.Abu Dawud said, Zubaydi narrated it from Rashid bin Saad, from Ibn Aaidh, from Miqdam. Muawiya bin Salih narrated it from Rashid, who said, "I heard Miqdam." The hadith of Zubaydi was recorded by Ibn Hibban (6036) through the route of Abdullah bin Salim, from him, who said, Rashid bin Saad narrated to us with his chain, and its wording is, "Whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, it falls to me, and whoever leaves behind wealth, it goes to his heirs, and I am the guardian of one who has no guardian, I free him from his debt and I inherit his wealth. And the maternal uncle is the guardian of one who has no guardian, he frees him from his debt and inherits his wealth." Zubaydi is Muhammad bin Walid, and he is trustworthy.Ibn Hibban said, "Rashid bin Saad heard this report from Abu Amir Hawzani, from Miqdam, and he also heard it from Abdul-Rahman bin Aaidh Azdi, from Miqdam bin Maadi Kareeb, so both routes are preserved and their texts differ from one another."As for the hadith of Muawiya bin Salih, who is Muawiya bin Hudayr Himsi, Ahmad (17199) recorded it from Hammad bin Khalid, who said, Muawiya bin Salih narrated to us with his chain, and its wording is, "Whoever leaves behind wealth, it goes to his heirs, and whoever leaves behind a debt or dependents, it falls to me, and I am the protector of one who has no protector, I free him from his debt and I inherit his wealth. And the maternal uncle is the protector of one who has no protector, he frees him from his debt and inherits his wealth." He also narrated it (17200) from Abdul-Rahman bin Mahdi, from Muawiya bin Salih, who said, "I heard Rashid bin Saad narrating from Miqdam bin Maadi Kareeb," and he related the like of it.Tahawi narrated it in his Mushkil (2750) from the hadith of Assad bin Musa, who said, Muawiya bin Salih narrated to me, Rashid bin Saad narrated to me, that he heard Miqdam bin Maadi Kareeb, and he related it. In this version there is an explicit statement that Rashid bin Saad heard directly from Miqdam. There is no way to reconcile this except to say that perhaps he first heard it through an intermediary, and then heard it directly, for he heard from those companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who were alive in his time, and he heard from Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan and Thawban and others. This is not a defect that undermines the hadith.As for his saying, "he frees his shackle," and in another version, "he frees him from his debt," its meaning is that he is the paying kin group (aqila), who bears the burden of freeing him in cases of criminal liability.As for what is reported from Ayesha, who said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The maternal uncle inherits from one who has no heir," the correct view is that it is a stopped report (mawquf). Tirmidhi (2104) narrated it from Ishaq bin Mansur, who said, Abu Asim informed us, from Ibn Jurayj, from Amr bin Muslim, from Tawus, from Ayesha, who related it. Tirmidhi said, "Hasan gharib. Some narrators related it in a disconnected form (mursal) and did not mention Ayesha in it." I say, it is as he said, for Daraqutni (4/85) and Bayhaqi (6/215) narrated it through the route of Abu Asim, and Abu Asim was uncertain whether it should be attributed directly to the Prophet. Amr bin Muslim is not strong, as Ahmad and Ibn Main said. Bayhaqi said, it has also been narrated from Ibn Tawus in disconnected form, and Daraqutni favored treating it as a stopped report.Tirmidhi then said, "The companions of the Prophet ﷺ differed concerning it, and some of them granted inheritance rights to the maternal uncle, the maternal aunt, and the paternal aunt. Most scholars have followed this hadith in granting inheritance to relatives of the womb (dhawu al-arham). As for Zayd bin Thabit, he did not grant them inheritance, but placed the inheritance in the public treasury."