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Islamic inheritance: 2 wives and 1 son

In all four Sunni schools: 2 wives 1/8 (12.5%) and 1 son 7/8 (87.5%).

On this page
  1. Shares from an estate of 100,000
  2. Step by step
  3. The verses
  4. Questions
  5. The heirs in this case
  6. Related cases

Shares from an estate of 100,000

These are the only surviving heirs. The amounts assume 100,000 is left after funeral costs, debts and bequests; each is rounded to a whole unit and together they make 100,000.

All four schools

HeirShare%Amount
Wife× 2 ⁦1/16⁩ each1/8 12.5%12,500
Son 7/8 87.5%87,500
Total100%100,000

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This is a religious calculation of shares, not legal advice. A court, notary or registry in your country decides what is legally valid.

Step by step

The estate divides over a base (أصل المسألة, aṣl al-masʾala) of 16 shares (sihām):

Wife1/8 2 / 16
Son7/8 14 / 16
Total18 / 8

Step by step

  1. 1.

    Wife ×2 1/8

    Qurʾan 4:12 — the wife (or wives, shared) takes ⅛ when there is a child.4:12

  2. 2.

    Son 7/8

    Qurʾan 4:11 — the children take the residue; a son takes the share of two daughters (2:1).4:11

    Learn: ʿAṣaba: the residuary heirs
  3. 3.

    Base (aṣl al-masʾala): 8

    Learn: Aṣl and taṣḥīḥ: the base of a case and its correction
  4. 4.

    Base corrected (taṣḥīḥ) from 8 to 16 so every heir gets whole shares

    Learn: Aṣl and taṣḥīḥ: the base of a case and its correction
  5. 5.

    Each Wife: 1/166,250

Why these shares (daleel)

  • Wife الزَّوجة

    Qurʾan 4:12 — the wife (or wives, shared) takes ⅛ when there is a child.4:12

  • Son الابن

    Qurʾan 4:11 — the children take the residue; a son takes the share of two daughters (2:1).4:11

The verses

The fixed shares in this case rest on these verses of Sūrat an-Nisāʾ.

an-Nisāʾ 4:11 — children and parents

Children and parents: a son takes twice a daughter's portion; one daughter alone takes half, and two or more daughters take two-thirds. Each parent takes a sixth when there is a child; with no child the mother takes a third, or a sixth if there are siblings. All of this comes after any bequest and debt.

Read 4:11 in the Quran reader

an-Nisāʾ 4:12 — spouses and maternal siblings

Spouses and maternal siblings: the husband takes half, or a quarter when there is a child; the wife takes a quarter, or an eighth when there is a child. When the deceased leaves neither parent nor child (kalāla), one maternal sibling takes a sixth and two or more share a third.

Read 4:12 in the Quran reader

Questions

How is an estate divided between 2 wives and 1 son?
In all four Sunni schools: 2 wives 1/8 (12.5%) and 1 son 7/8 (87.5%).
How much does each heir get from an estate of 100,000?
2 wives 12,500 and 1 son 87,500. Amounts are rounded to whole units and add up to 100,000.
Do the four Sunni schools agree on this case?
Yes. The Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī schools give each heir the same share.

The heirs in this case

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