❖ Who Are the Asḥāb al-Furūḍ? List of 12 Prescribed Heirs in Islam
Excerpt taken from the book “Islami Qanoon-e-Wirasat” by Maulana Abu Nu’man Basheer Ahmad.
❖ Question:
Who are the Asḥāb al-Furūḍ, and which heirs are included among them?
❖ Answer:
Asḥāb al-Furūḍ refers to those heirs whose specific shares have been fixed in the Qur'an and Sunnah. These are twelve heirs in total, divided into:
◈ 4 Male Heirs
◈ 8 Female Heirs
They are as follows:
◈ Four Male Heirs:
① Husband (خاوند)
② Father (باپ)
③ Grandfather (دادا) – Paternal only
④ Maternal Brother (مادری بھائی) – Brother from mother’s side only
◈ Eight Female Heirs:
⑤ Wife (بیوی)
⑥ Mother (ماں)
⑦ Grandmother (دادی و نانی – صحیحہ) – Paternal and maternal, if alive and meet the conditions
⑧ Daughter (بیٹی)
⑨ Granddaughter (پوتی / پڑپوتی) – From son's lineage
⑩ Full Sister (حقیقی بہن)
⑪ Paternal Sister (پدری بہن)
⑫ Maternal Sister (مادری بہن)
✔ These twelve individuals are known as the Asḥāb al-Furūḍ because their inheritance shares are explicitly outlined in the divine texts.
✔ In the absence of other types of heirs (like ‘Aṣabah or Dhawil Arḥām), the estate is distributed among them according to the fixed shares provided by Islamic law.
