The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) decreed that the lifelong gift is for the one to whom it was given
Authentic hadithعن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنهما قال: «قضى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالعُمْرَى لمن وهبت له». وفي لفظ: «من أُعمِر عمرى له ولعقبه؛ فإنها للذي أعطيها، لا ترجع إلى الذي أعطاها؛ لأنه أعطى عطاء وقعت فيه المواريث». وقال جابر: «إنما العمرى التي أجازها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، أن يقول: "هي لك ولعقبك"، فأما إذا قال: "هي لك ما عشت"؛ فإنها ترجع إلى صاحبها». وفي لفظ لمسلم: «أمسكوا عليكم أموالكم ولا تفسدوها، فإنه من أُعمِر عمرى فهي للذي أُعمِرها حيًّا وميتًا ولعقبه».
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) decreed that the lifelong gift is for the one to whom it was given. Another narration reads: “Whoever is given a lifelong gift in association with his offspring, it is indeed for him and his offspring. It does not return to the one who gave it, because he gave something that has become part of the inheritance.” Jābir said that the lifelong gift that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ordained is the gift in which the granter says to the recipient: "This is for you and your offspring." However, if the granter says: "This is for you as long as you live, then it returns to its owner." In another narration reported by Imām Muslim, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Keep your wealth and do not spoil it. For indeed, whoever is given a lifelong gift, then it is for the one to whom it has been given and for his offspring, no matter he is alive or dead."
Explanation
Al-‘Umrā” and Ar-Ruqbā are two types of lifelong gifts that used to be given during the pre-Islamic era. A man would give someone a house or something else by saying: I give this to you forever, or I give this to you as long as you are alive or as long as I am alive. Therefore, they used to wait for the death of the one given such a gift, in order to take back their gift. Islamic Shariah has approved the gift and annulled the condition of taking it back, which was often associated with it. This is because, in Islam, the one who takes his gift back is like the dog that vomits and swallows its vomit. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) decreed that the lifelong gift is for the one to whom it was given and to his offspring after him. On the other hand, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised them to maintain their wealth because they assumed that the condition associated with the gift is not binding, and they are allowed to take their gifts back. So, he said: "Keep your wealth and do not spoil it. For indeed, whoever is given a lifelong gift, then it is for the one to whom it has been given and for his offspring, no matter he is alive or dead."
Source · Narrated by Muslim - Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).