Islamic Inheritance: Your Questions Answered

Four claims are settled from the estate first, in order: funeral and burial costs, then debts, then any bequest up to one-third. The remaining net estate is the inheritance. The fixed-share heirs the Qurʾān names — spouse, parents, daughters, and certain siblings — receive their fractions first. Whatever remains passes to the residuary heirs (ʿaṣaba), such as sons and the father. If the fixed shares overflow the estate, the doctrine of ʿawl reduces them proportionally; if a surplus remains and there is no residuary, radd returns it to the fixed-share heirs (other than the spouse). Our calculator performs every step and explains it.

Yes — and their right cannot be removed by anyone. Daughters are named directly in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ 4:11. A single daughter with no son takes one-half; two or more daughters share two-thirds equally. When a son is also present, the daughters inherit alongside their brothers as residuaries, with each son receiving twice a daughter's share. This 2:1 ratio is paired with the man's greater financial duties (dowry, and the maintenance of his wife and family), whereas a woman keeps her wealth entirely for herself. Read the full treatment in Do daughters inherit in Islam?

A wife receives one-quarter of the estate if her husband left no descendants, or one-eighth if he did. If there is more than one wife, they share that single quarter or eighth equally. A husband receives one-half if his wife left no descendants, or one-quarter if she did. The spouse is never blocked from inheriting. See What a husband or wife inherits for worked examples.

No. The Islamic bequest (waṣiyya) is limited to one-third of the net estate, and it cannot be directed to someone who already inherits a fixed share. The other two-thirds must be divided according to the fixed shares. This protects every rightful heir from being disinherited. Our article on writing an Islamic will explains how to use the one-third wisely.

Adopted children do not inherit through the fixed shares, because Islam preserves the link between a child and their biological parents rather than transferring lineage. This is not a denial of love or care: a guardian is encouraged to provide for an adopted child through a bequest of up to one-third of the estate, and through gifts made during their lifetime.

Under the position of the majority of scholars, a difference of religion is a barrier to inheritance through the fixed shares — a non-Muslim does not inherit from a Muslim, and a Muslim does not inherit from a non-Muslim, by farāʾiḍ. A Muslim may still leave a non-Muslim parent or relative up to one-third of the estate as a bequest, which is a recommended act of kindness and maintaining ties.

Debts are paid from the estate before any inheritance is divided — both debts owed to people (loans, unpaid wages, an outstanding dowry) and debts owed to Allah that carry a financial dimension, such as unpaid zakāh or expiations. Settling these is an obligation on the heirs and executor, and the deceased's standing with their Lord depends partly on them being cleared.

They are the two balancing doctrines. ʿAwl applies when the fixed shares total more than the whole estate: every share is reduced proportionally by raising the common denominator. Radd applies when the fixed shares total less than the estate and there is no residuary heir: the surplus is returned to the fixed-share heirs (except the spouse) in proportion to their shares. Both are explained with examples in ʿAwl and Radd explained.

No, and it does not try to be. Mawarith Pro applies the majority (Jumhūr) position for the common cases and is an excellent learning and planning tool. But real estates can involve debts, contested paternity, missing or unborn heirs, and the handful of cases the schools genuinely dispute. For any binding division, confirm the result with a qualified scholar or an Islamic court. See our Terms & disclaimer.