Paternal sister
الأخت لأب
The deceased's half-sister through the father only. She inherits like a full sister one rank lower, when the full siblings leave room.
Their share
Each row is a family run through the engine in all four schools; the share is the group share of the paternal sister.
| Family | Ḥanafī | Mālikī | Shāfiʿī | Ḥanbalī |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alone | 1 with return (radd) | |||
| With Wife | 3/4 with return (radd) | |||
| With Son | excluded | |||
| With Daughter | 1/2 residue (ʿaṣaba) | |||
| With Daughter × 2 | 1/3 residue (ʿaṣaba) | |||
| With Mother | 3/5 with return (radd) | |||
| Paternal sister × 2 — With Father's father and Full sister | excluded | 1/10 residue (ʿaṣaba) | 1/10 residue (ʿaṣaba) | 1/10 residue (ʿaṣaba) |
| With Mother, Father's father, Full sister, and Paternal brother | excluded | 1/54 residue (ʿaṣaba) | 1/54 residue (ʿaṣaba) | 1/54 residue (ʿaṣaba) |
Who excludes them
Present even once, each of these excludes the paternal sister in all four schools:
Two or more of these exclude the paternal sister:
Depends on the school:
Whom they exclude
A single paternal sister excludes, in all four schools:
Where the schools differ
In these families the four schools give the paternal sister different shares:
The verse
No inheritance verse of Sūrat an-Nisāʾ (4:11, 4:12, 4:176) names a share for the paternal sister; their place follows the rules the scholars derived from the Sunnah and those verses.
Worked examples
| Heir | Ḥanafī | Mālikī | Shāfiʿī | Ḥanbalī |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Father's father | 1 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Full sister | excluded | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
| Paternal sister × 2 | excluded | 1/10 | 1/10 | 1/10 |
Questions
- How much does the paternal sister inherit?
- It depends on who else inherits. Computed in all four schools: with son: excluded; with daughter: 1/2; with daughter × 2: 1/3; paternal sister × 2 — with father's father and full sister: differs by school; with mother, father's father, full sister, and paternal brother: differs by school.
- Does the paternal sister inherit when there is a son?
- No. In all four schools a son excludes the paternal sister entirely (ḥajb).
- Whom does the paternal sister exclude?
- In all four schools a single paternal sister excludes: daughter's son, daughter's daughter, sister's son, sister's daughter, maternal grandfather, maternal uncle, maternal aunt, and paternal aunt.
- Do the four schools agree on the share of the paternal sister?
- Not always. They differ in 2 of the situations computed here — for example, paternal sister × 2 — with father's father and full sister: Ḥanafī excluded, Mālikī 1/10, Shāfiʿī 1/10, Ḥanbalī 1/10.