Islamic Inheritance Shares Explained: A Complete Guide to Faraid

Where Do Islamic Inheritance Shares Come From?

The rules of Islamic inheritance are called Faraid (فرائض) — from an Arabic root meaning "to prescribe" or "to make obligatory". They are not guidelines. They are fixed shares established directly in the Quran, and following them is a religious obligation for every Muslim estate.

The primary Quranic sources are Surah An-Nisa, verses 11, 12, and 176. Verse 11 sets out the shares for children and parents. Verse 12 covers spouses and, in certain circumstances, siblings. Verse 176 addresses the case where the deceased leaves no children and no parents (kalalah).

Allah says in Surah An-Nisa (4:11): "Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, a share equal to that of two females." These verses were revealed during the early years of Islam, addressing an Arab inheritance system that had largely excluded women and younger children. The Quranic rules changed that fundamentally — daughters, mothers, and wives were given defined, enforceable shares for the first time.

Who Are the Fixed Heirs and What Do They Receive?

Islamic inheritance law divides heirs into two categories: those with fixed shares (ashab al-furud) and those who inherit whatever remains after the fixed shares are paid (residuary heirs, or asabah). The fixed shares below are consistent across all four Sunni madhabs.

The mother's share in detail

The mother's share changes depending on who else survives. She receives 1/3 where there are no children and fewer than two siblings of the deceased survive. She receives 1/6 where children exist, or where two or more siblings of the deceased survive — even if those siblings are themselves blocked from inheriting anything. The mere presence of two or more siblings is enough to reduce her share; this is agreed upon by all four madhabs.

Sons and daughters together

Where sons survive alongside daughters, the daughters do not receive a fixed fraction. Instead, they inherit alongside the sons as residuary heirs, with each son receiving double a daughter's share. In a typical family where a wife, sons, daughters, and a mother survive, the wife and mother receive their fixed fractions first, and the sons and daughters divide the remainder in that 2:1 ratio.

Other fixed heirs

When the primary heirs above are not present, other relatives can become entitled to shares — paternal grandmother, maternal grandmother, uterine siblings (through the mother only), and paternal sisters in certain configurations. These cases are conditional and highly dependent on exactly who else survives, and some details vary between the four madhabs. If your family includes any of these relatives, run the free calculation on Mizaanly and confirm the result with a scholar before acting on it.

What Is the Difference Between Fixed Shares (Fard) and Residuary Shares (Asabah)?

Think of the estate as a pie. The fixed heirs are served their slice first — each one has a defined fraction written into the Quran. Whatever remains after those slices are taken goes to the residuary heirs.

Fixed shares (fard — فرض): a precise fraction — 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/3, 1/6, or 2/3. These are set by divine text and cannot be varied by the deceased's wishes, by agreement among heirs, or by any other means.

Residuary shares (asabah — عصبة): no fixed fraction. The residuary heirs take whatever is left. In most families, sons are the residuary heirs. The father becomes a residuary heir when there are no children.

Two exceptions apply when fixed shares and the estate don't line up neatly.

Awl — when shares exceed the estate

In certain family compositions, the fixed fractions add up to more than 100% of the estate. When this happens, every fixed share is reduced proportionally so the total equals exactly the estate — a process called Awl (عول). Awl is accepted by all four Sunni madhabs: it was applied by Umar ibn al-Khattab and accepted by the Companions, and every school applies the same proportional method today. This is standard Faraid practice, not a point of ongoing disagreement.

Radd — when shares fall short

In other configurations, the fixed shares add up to less than 100% and there is no residuary heir to take the remainder. The surplus is returned to the fixed heirs in proportion to their shares — a process called Radd (رد). Here the madhabs do genuinely differ on one point: whether a surviving spouse shares in that surplus. Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Maliki generally exclude the spouse from Radd; the Hanbali school allows the spouse to receive it when no other heir exists. For most UK Muslim families this only matters in a small set of cases — see our guide to madhab differences in Faraid for the full picture.

How Does Family Composition Change the Calculation?

This is where many families run into difficulty. The shares in Faraid are not static — they shift depending on who survives the deceased. The principle governing these shifts is called Hajb (حجب), meaning "blocking" or "exclusion". Hajb can be partial (reducing a share) or complete (excluding an heir entirely). A son, for example, completely excludes a brother of the deceased from inheriting. Two or more siblings reduce the mother's share from 1/3 to 1/6, even where those siblings themselves receive nothing.

Example 1 — husband, mother, and son

The deceased leaves a husband, a mother, and a son.

• Husband receives 1/4 (children exist).
• Mother receives 1/6 (children exist).
• Son takes the residue: 1 − 1/4 − 1/6 = 7/12.

Example 2 — the Umariyyatayn case

The deceased leaves a husband, a mother, and a father — no children. This is one of the two classical cases known as Umariyyatayn ("the two rulings of Umar"), named after the ruling given by Umar ibn al-Khattab.

• Husband receives 1/2 (no children).
• The remainder is 1/2. The majority position among scholars is that the mother receives 1/3 of that remainder, not 1/3 of the whole estate — giving her 1/3 × 1/2 = 1/6 of the total.
• The father takes what is left: 1 − 1/2 − 1/6 = 1/3 of the total.

Umar's reasoning was to preserve the principle that a father's share should not fall below double the mother's — here 1/3 is exactly double 1/6. This is the dominant classical ruling followed across the madhabs, not a fringe position.

Example 3 — a Radd case

The deceased leaves a wife and two daughters, with no sons.

• Wife receives 1/8 (children exist).
• The two daughters together receive 2/3.
• 1/8 + 2/3 = 3/24 + 16/24 = 19/24. The remaining 5/24 has no residuary heir to claim it, so it returns to the fixed heirs via Radd.

Exactly how that 5/24 is split depends on the madhab followed. Under Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Maliki, the wife is excluded from Radd, so the surplus goes to the two daughters alone. Under Hanbali, the wife also shares in the surplus alongside the daughters. Run the free calculation on Mizaanly under your chosen madhab to see the exact figures for your family.

Does your madhab affect the shares?

For the core heirs — spouse, children, and parents — the shares above are consistent across all four Sunni madhabs (Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali). Differences arise in less common scenarios: most significantly when a paternal grandfather survives alongside full siblings, and in the Radd question above. These differences can be financially significant in the specific families they affect, even though they don't change the outcome for most households. Our dedicated guide to madhab differences covers each of these scenarios with worked figures.

How Islamic Shares Compare to UK Intestacy Rules

The UK's intestacy rules — what applies when someone dies without a valid will — are set out in the Administration of Estates Act 1925 and later statutory instruments. They bear little resemblance to Faraid.

The differences are not marginal. A Muslim who dies in the UK without a valid Islamic will may have their estate distributed in a way that bears no relationship to what Faraid requires. Their family then faces a difficult choice: accept the UK distribution, or attempt to redistribute Islamically through a Deed of Variation, which requires unanimous agreement from every adult heir. For the full picture, see our guide: Can a Muslim's estate be distributed Islamically without a will?

Worked Example — £300,000 Estate

This is an illustrative example. Actual calculations depend on all surviving heirs and the madhab applied. Run the free calculation at Mizaanly for your specific family.

How to Make Sure Your Estate Follows Islamic Shares in the UK

The only reliable way to ensure your estate is distributed according to Faraid after you die is to make a valid Islamic will that also satisfies UK legal requirements.

In England and Wales, the Wills Act 1837 sets out the formal requirements for a valid will: it must be in writing, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two independent witnesses who are both present at the time of signing and who also sign the document. A will that does not meet these requirements has no legal force, however clearly it expresses the deceased's wishes.

An Islamic will that satisfies the Wills Act 1837 can direct the executor — known in Islamic tradition as the Wasi — to distribute the estate according to the Faraid shares calculated for your specific family. It can name each heir and their entitlement, and it is legally enforceable. For the requirements in detail, see our guide: Writing an Islamic will (Wasiyyah) in the UK.

Beyond the will itself, calculating Faraid correctly is a prerequisite. You cannot give a solicitor valid instructions if the underlying calculation is wrong. The Solicitor Instruction Letter produced by Mizaanly presents your Faraid calculation in a format a solicitor or probate professional can act on directly. It costs £29. The calculation itself is always free — you can verify every share before making any decision or purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Islamic inheritance shares according to the Quran?

Islamic inheritance shares (Faraid) are fixed fractions set out in Surah An-Nisa, verses 11, 12, and 176 — typically 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/3, 1/6, or 2/3 depending on which heirs survive. A wife receives 1/4 or 1/8, a husband 1/2 or 1/4, a single daughter 1/2, two or more daughters 2/3 combined, and a mother either 1/3 or 1/6. Any remainder after fixed shares are paid goes to residuary heirs, usually sons.

How much does a wife inherit in Islam?

A wife receives 1/4 of her husband's estate if he leaves no children, and 1/8 if children survive. This is fixed in Surah An-Nisa 4:12 and is consistent across all four Sunni madhabs. If there is more than one wife, they share that fraction equally between them.

What is the difference between fard and asabah shares in Islamic inheritance?

Fard (fixed) shares are precise Quranic fractions — 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/3, 1/6, or 2/3 — paid first and never varied. Asabah (residuary) shares have no fixed fraction; residuary heirs, usually sons, receive whatever remains after all fixed shares are paid. In most families with sons and daughters, the fixed heirs are paid first and the sons and daughters divide the residue in a 2:1 ratio.

What happens if the Islamic inheritance shares add up to more than the estate?

This is called Awl. When the fixed Quranic shares for the surviving heirs add up to more than 100% of the estate, every share is reduced proportionally so the total equals exactly the estate. Awl was applied by Umar ibn al-Khattab and accepted by the Companions, and all four Sunni madhabs apply it in the same way — it is standard Faraid practice, not a point of scholarly disagreement.

Does UK intestacy law match Islamic inheritance shares?

No. Under UK intestacy, a spouse can inherit the entire estate if there are no children, and children inherit equally regardless of gender. Under Faraid, a spouse always receives a defined fraction rather than the whole estate, children inherit in a 2:1 son-to-daughter ratio, and parents can inherit even when a spouse and children survive. A Muslim who dies in the UK without a valid Islamic will may have their estate distributed in a way that does not reflect Faraid at all.