Shar‘i Distribution of Inheritance: Shares of Wife, Son, Daughters, and Parents
Source: Fatawa Rashidiyyah, Page No. 661
❖ Question
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following issue:
A man named Abdul Haq passed away, leaving behind the following heirs:
◄ Father
◄ Mother
◄ One Wife
◄ One Son
◄ Two Daughters
According to the Shari‘ah of Muhammad ﷺ, how should the inheritance be distributed among them?
❖ Answer
Alḥamdulillāh, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allāh. To proceed:
It is essential to understand that the deceased’s estate must first be used for the following:
① Funeral and burial expenses should be paid.
② Then, any outstanding debts of the deceased must be settled.
③ If the deceased left a will, it should be executed—within one-third of the total estate.
Only after fulfilling these obligations, the entire remaining estate—whether movable or immovable—is to be distributed as follows (assuming the total estate is equivalent to 1 Rupee for calculation purposes):
❖ Distribution of Shares According to Shari‘ah
◈ Father → One-sixth (1/6): 2 ānā, 8 pāī
﴿وَلِأَبَوَيْهِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا السُّدُسُ مِمَّا تَرَكَ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ…﴾
(An-Nisā’)
◈ Mother → One-sixth (1/6): 2 ānā, 8 pāī
﴿وَلِأَبَوَيْهِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا السُّدُسُ مِمَّا تَرَكَ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ…﴾
(An-Nisā’)
◈ Wife → One-eighth (1/8): 2 ānā
﴿فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ وَلَدٌ فَلَهُنَّ الثُّمُنُ﴾
❖ Remaining Portion (8 ānā, 8 pāī)
This will be divided among the children as follows:
➊ Two shares for the son
➋ One share collectively for the two daughters
﴿يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ ۖ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ﴾
(An-Nisā’)
✿ Modern Decimal (Percentage) Distribution
Assuming the total estate is 100%, the distribution will be:
◈ Father → 1/6 = 16.66%
◈ Mother → 1/6 = 16.66%
◈ Wife → 1/8 = 12.5%
◈ Remaining for children = 54.18%, distributed as:
- Son → 27.09%
- Each Daughter → 13.54%
هٰذا ما عندی، واللہ أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allāh knows best.
