ملف 8/9 التقرير السنوي حول دولة البحرين لسنة ١٣٥١ هجرية [و‎‎٣‎٣] (٢٠٠/٧٠)

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25
Land registrations.
Political Resident during the celebrations on the
occasion of H. E. Shaikh Hamad's succession.
A few months-before the end of the year a test case
ocurred. A v/ife of Shaikh Mohomed bin Isa, who did
not belong to the Khalifah family, died without
leaving any children. She held two or three gardens
which were "hiba" from Shaikh Isa. These gardens
according to the custom reverted to the Ruler.
Unfortunately Shaikh Hohomed bin Isa seized this oppor
tunity to oppose the previous decision by every pos
sible means and he endeavoured to induce some of his
relations to support him. although his brothers and
his nephew Shaikh Salman had solemnly agreed that
such property should be held for life, Shaikh Mohammad
denied that the custom had ever existed. TJhen innumer
able examples were quoted of Shaikh Isa having taken
back property which he had gifted after the death of
the recipient Shaikh Mohomed tried to prove that each
of these cases v/ere governed by particular reasons
not by family customs. H. E. Shaikh Hamad was much
displeased by Shaikh Mohomed r s attitude and by his
violent language.
Eventually Shaikh Mohomed suggested that if an
exception was made in the case of his own property
he would withdraw all opposition and give the matter
his support, provided that he was given a binding
written promise that the £id%e gifts of land held by
him and his sons should be theirs in perpetuity, never
to revert to the Ruler. It was finally decided that
the matter should be postponed for a month or two; at
the time of writing this report no further action has