A Muslim passed away leaving behind the following heirs:
- One widow
- Four daughters
- Two brothers
- Four sisters
How should the estate be distributed according to Islamic law?
Haji Aslam Barkati Pardesi, Zambia
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب
In the stated case, the widow is entitled to one-eighth (1/8) of the estate due to the presence of children. The four daughters are collectively entitled to two-thirds (2/3) of the estate, to be divided equally among them.
After allocating the prescribed shares to the widow and the daughters, the remainder of the estate shall be distributed among the deceased's full brothers and full sisters as residuary heirs ('asabah), in accordance with the Qur'anic principle:
«“For the male is the share of two females.”
(Surah al-Nisa, 4:176)»
Accordingly, if the estate is divided into 192 shares, the distribution will be as follows:
Heir| Shares
Widow| 24
Daughter 1| 32
Daughter 2| 32
Daughter 3| 32
Daughter 4| 32
Brother 1| 10
Brother 2| 10
Sister 1| 5
Sister 2| 5
Sister 3| 5
Sister 4| 5
Total| 192
واللہ تعالٰی اعلم
کتبہ
Mufti Abdul Rehman Qadri
Limbe Jaame Masjid, Malawi
16 Muharram 1448 AH