Fixed shares (Quran and Hanafi fiqh)
| Heir | Share | When |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | 1/2 or 1/4 | 1/4 if the wife left children or son’s children; otherwise 1/2 |
| Wife (wives share) | 1/4 or 1/8 | 1/8 if the husband left children or son’s children; otherwise 1/4 |
| Daughter(s) | 1/2, 2/3 or residue | With a son: residue, 2:1 to sons. Alone: one daughter 1/2, two or more share 2/3 |
| Father | 1/6, 1/6 + residue, or residue | 1/6 with a son; 1/6 plus the remainder with only daughters; the remainder with no children |
| Mother | 1/6 or 1/3 | 1/6 with children or two or more siblings; otherwise 1/3 (1/3 of the remainder when only a spouse and the father also inherit) |
| Full sister(s) | 1/2, 2/3 or residue | Only with no son, son’s son, father or grandfather; residue with a full brother (2:1) or with daughters |
| Maternal half-siblings | 1/6 or 1/3 | Only with no children, grandchildren, father or grandfather; men and women share equally |
Sons, brothers, nephews and uncles are residuaries (ʿasabah): they take what is left after the fixed shares, and a nearer residuary excludes a more distant one. Females of the same class share with their brothers at half a male’s share.
Worked examples (from published fatwas)
| Heirs | Shares | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wife, 2 sons, 3 daughters | Wife 1/8; each son 2/8; each daughter 1/8 | Darul Uloom Deoband |
| Husband, mother, father, daughter, full brother (ʿawl) | Husband 3/13; mother 2/13; father 2/13; daughter 6/13; brother nothing | Darul Uloom Deoband |
| Mother, wife, 4 sons, 2 daughters | Mother 40/240; wife 30/240; each son 34/240; each daughter 17/240 | Banuri Town Darul Ifta |
| Husband, mother, father | Husband 1/2; mother 1/6; father 2/6 | Banuri Town Darul Ifta |
| Father, mother, 3 brothers, 4 sisters | Mother 1/6; father 5/6; siblings nothing | Banuri Town Darul Ifta |
The cases are taken from question-and-answer fatwas on the Darul Uloom Deoband and Banuri Town Darul Ifta websites. This calculator reproduces all of them exactly; they are part of its automated test suite. See more worked answers: wife 1 son, wife 2 sons, wife 3 sons, wife 1 daughter, wife 2 daughters, wife 3 daughters.
ʿAwl and radd
ʿAwl applies when the fixed shares add up to more than the whole estate: every fixed share is reduced proportionally, as in the husband–parents–daughter example above (13 parts instead of 12). Radd applies when fixed shares leave a surplus and there is no residuary: the surplus returns to the fixed-share heirs other than the spouse, in proportion to their shares.
Pakistan: Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, section 4
“In the event of the death of any son or daughter of the propositus before the opening of succession, the children of such son or daughter, if any, living at the time the succession opens, shall per stirpes receive a share equivalent to the share which such son or daughter, as the case may be, would have received, if alive.” This differs from classical fiqh, where a living son excludes his brother’s children. In Allah Rakha v. Federation of Pakistan (PLD 2000 FSC 1) the Federal Shariat Court held section 4 repugnant to Islam, but the decision is under appeal before the Supreme Court’s Shariat Appellate Bench and section 4 remains in force until that appeal is decided. Take legal advice if this affects your family.
Not a fatwa. The calculator follows standard Hanafi rules and is tested against published fatwas, but family situations can be complex (unborn children, missing heirs, gifts made during life, disputed marriages). For a binding answer, consult a mufti or a court-appointed expert. Distant kindred (dhawil arham), paternal cousins and nephews’ sons are not covered — if any exist and no nearer residuary is entered, the result will be wrong.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04 · Disclaimer