ʿIlm al-Mīrāth: In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Linguistic Clarification
The word Mawārīth is the plural of Mīrāth, meaning the inheritance of the deceased. The words Irs, Warath, Wirāthah, and Turāth are also used in the same sense.
- Bāb Waritha – Yarithu (ḥasab): to inherit.
- Bāb Warratha and Awratha (tafʿīl, ifʿāl): to make someone an heir.
- Bāb Tawāratha – Yatawārath (tafāʿul): to inherit from one another.
The one leaving behind the estate is called Mūrwūth, and the one entitled to a share of the inheritance is called Wārith. Its plural is Warathah or Wurrāth.
(Al-Munjid: p. 959, Al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ: p. 163, Miṣbāḥ al-Lughāt: p. 939)
Sharʿī Definition
Such wealth or rights which, upon the death of a person, are deemed the entitlement of his Sharʿī heirs.
(Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh: 7/7697)
The knowledge of inheritance is also called ʿIlm al-Farāʾiḍ. As in one narration:
تعلموا الفرائض
“Learn the knowledge of farāʾiḍ.”
Thus, ʿIlm al-Mīrāth and ʿIlm al-Farāʾiḍ refer to the same discipline.
Legitimacy of Inheritance Laws
❀ Qur’anic Evidence
① [Al-Nisāʾ: 11–12, 176]
يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ...
“Allah commands you concerning your children: for the male, a share equal to that of two females…”
② Hadith of Anas (RA):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
أعلمها الناس بالفرائض زيد بن ثابت
“The most knowledgeable among the people in the laws of inheritance is Zayd ibn Thābit.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 125, al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1224, Musnad Aḥmad: 3/184, etc.)
③ Hadith of Abu Hurairah (RA):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
تعلموا الفرائض وعلموها فإنها نصف العلم
“Learn the laws of inheritance and teach them, for they are half of knowledge.”
(Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 594, Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 1664–1665, Ibn Mājah: 2719, etc.)
④ Hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr (RA):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Knowledge is three, and everything else is surplus:
آية محكمة أو سنة قائمة أو فريضة عادلة
‘A decisive verse, an established Sunnah, or a just obligation.’”
(Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 7, Abū Dāwūd: 2885, etc.)
⑤ Hadith of Ibn Masʿūd (RA):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
تعلموا القرآن وعلموه الناس وتعلموا الفرائض وعلموها...
“Learn the Qur’an and teach it to the people. Learn the laws of inheritance and teach them…”
(Dārimī: 1/37, al-Ḥākim: 4/333, etc.)
Relevant Qur’anic Verses
① [Al-Nisāʾ: 11–12] – Detailed shares for children, parents, spouses, and siblings.
② [Al-Nisāʾ: 176] – Ruling on kalālah (those without ascendants or descendants).
③ [Al-Anfāl: 75] – Priority of kinship relations in inheritance.
④ [Al-Nisāʾ: 7] – Rights of both men and women in inheritance, regardless of wealth’s quantity.
Derived Rulings from the Verses
① Concerning Sons and Daughters:
- One son and one daughter: son gets two shares, daughter one.
- Group of sons and daughters: males get double the females.
- With aṣḥāb al-furūḍ (spouse/parents), their shares are given first, then children inherit.
- One son alone inherits all.
- In the absence of children, grandchildren inherit.
② Concerning Parents:
- If deceased has children: each parent gets one-sixth.
- If no children: mother gets one-third, father two-thirds.
- If siblings exist: mother gets one-sixth, rest for father.
③ Debt precedes a bequest.
④ Concerning the Husband:
- No children: half of wife’s estate.
- With children: one-fourth.
⑤ Concerning One or Multiple Wives:
- No children: one-fourth collectively.
- With children: one-eighth collectively.
⑥ Concerning Maternal Siblings:
- One brother/sister (maternal): one-sixth.
- More than one: collectively share one-third equally.
⑦ Concerning Full and Paternal Siblings:
- One sister (no children or parents): half.
- Two sisters (no children or parents): two-thirds.
- Brothers and sisters together: divided per لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ.
- If a sister dies with no ascendants/descendants: full brother inherits entire estate.
- Paternal siblings take same rulings when no full siblings exist.
Essential Principles of Inheritance
① Three Pillars of Inheritance
- Mūrwūth (deceased)
- Wārith (heir)
- Mīrāth (estate)
(Al-Farāʾiḍ: p. 17, Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī: 10/7703)
② Three Causes of Inheritance
- Kinship
- Marriage
- Walaʾ
(Al-Farāʾiḍ: p. 18, Al-Mughnī: 6/304, etc.)
③ Three Conditions for Inheritance
- Certainty of the deceased’s death
- Existence of the heir at time of death
- Knowledge of cause, relationship, rank, and strength of inheritance
(Al-Farāʾiḍ: p. 22, Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 4/448)
④ Three Barriers to Inheritance
- Slavery
- Murder
- Difference of religion
(Al-Farāʾiḍ: p. 24, Mughnī al-Muḥtāj: 3/24, etc.)
⑤ Three Types of Siblings in Inheritance
- ʿAynī: Full siblings (same father and mother)
- ʿAllātī: Paternal siblings (same father only)
- Akhyāfī: Maternal siblings (same mother only)
(Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/122, al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 2/695)
