Islamic inheritance (wirasat) explained with examples
Dividing a family estate is a duty and often a cause of disputes. Here is how the shares work under Hanafi fiqh, which most of Pakistan follows, with examples you can check in the calculator.
Free tools for this
- Islamic Inheritance Calculator (Wirasat, Hanafi)Share of each heir under Islamic law (Hanafi fiqh, as followed in Pakistan): wife or husband, sons, daughters, parents, brothers and sisters, with ‘awl and radd. Shows fractions, percentages and amounts.
- Zakat CalculatorEstimate zakat (2.5%) on cash, gold, silver and business assets.
- Land Area Converter (Marla / Kanal)Convert marla, kanal, sarsai, acre, square feet, yards and metres for plots and property.
Step 1: pay what comes before inheritance
- Funeral and burial costs.
- All debts, including the wife’s unpaid mahr.
- The will (wasiyyat), at most one third of what is left, and not in favour of an heir.
Step 2: give the fixed shares (ashab al-furud)
- Husband: 1/2, or 1/4 if the deceased had children.
- Wife: 1/4, or 1/8 if there are children; several wives share it.
- Mother: 1/6 if there are children or two or more siblings, otherwise 1/3.
- Father: 1/6 when there are children, and he also takes the residue if there are no sons.
- Daughters without a son: one daughter 1/2, two or more share 2/3.
Step 3: the residue (asabah)
What is left goes to the residuary heirs, nearest first. Sons and daughters together share it so that a son gets twice a daughter’s share (Surah An-Nisa 4:11).
Examples
| Heirs | Shares |
|---|---|
| Wife, 1 son, 1 daughter | Wife 1/8, son 7/12, daughter 7/24 |
| Husband, father, mother | Husband 1/2, mother 1/6 (a third of the rest), father 1/3 |
| Husband, 2 full sisters | Shares add up to 7/6, so ‘awl: husband 3/7, sisters 4/7 |
‘Awl reduces every fixed share in proportion when they add up to more than the whole. Radd returns a leftover to the fixed-share heirs (except a spouse) when there is no residuary heir.
Tip: Land is often divided by marla and kanal. After working out the fractions, multiply them by the total area to get each heir’s portion.
These are the common cases. For missing persons, unborn children, step-relations or distant relatives, and before mutation (intiqal) at the patwari, ask a mufti or a lawyer.
Questions
Do daughters always get half of a son’s share?
When sons and daughters inherit together as residuary heirs, yes: 2:1.
Can a will give extra to one child?
No. A will cannot favour an heir unless the other heirs agree after the death.
Is the calculator a fatwa?
No. It applies the standard rules; confirm unusual cases with a scholar.