Distribute an estate according to the prescribed shares of Surah An-Nisa (4:11-12). Select the surviving heirs, enter the estate value, and we apply the fixed shares (fard) and residue (ta'sib) automatically.
After settling funeral expenses, debts, and bequests up to one-third.
Step-by-step application of the fixed shares (fard) followed by residue distribution.
Based on Quranic shares and the doctrine of 'asabah (agnatic residuaries).
Faraidh (Arabic: الفرائض) — the science of Islamic inheritance — is one of the most precisely codified areas of Islamic law. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Learn the laws of inheritance and teach them to the people, for they are half of useful knowledge." (Sunan Ibn Majah). Unlike most fields of fiqh, the core shares are fixed directly in the Quran — primarily in verses 11, 12, and 176 of Surah An-Nisa.
Before any heir receives anything, four prior claims must be settled from the estate, in strict order:
The Quran specifies six fixed fractions: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 2/3, 1/3, and 1/6. Spouses, parents, and daughters (in the absence of sons) receive their share as a fixed fraction. The presence or absence of other heirs can shift these fractions (for example, a wife's share is 1/4 with no children but 1/8 with children).
After the fixed shares are distributed, the residue (baqi) goes to the asabah: the male agnatic relatives, in order of closeness — sons, then sons' sons, then father, then paternal grandfather, then full brothers, then paternal half-brothers, and onward. When a son is present, daughters become his "co-residuary" (ta'sib bi-l-ghayr), each receiving half a son's share.
Three corrective doctrines may apply: Aul (proportional reduction) when the sum of fard shares exceeds the whole; Radd (proportional return) when shares fall short and no residuary heir exists; and Hajb (exclusion) when a nearer heir blocks a more distant one (e.g. a son blocks the brothers entirely). Complex cases involving these doctrines should always be reviewed by a qualified scholar.
Three conditions block inheritance entirely, regardless of relationship. According to the consensus of mainstream Sunni scholars, an heir does not inherit if they are: (1) a non-Muslim and the deceased was a Muslim (or vice versa); (2) the cause of the deceased's death through unjust killing; or (3) a slave at the time of the deceased's passing. These rules come from explicit hadith of the Prophet ﷺ such as "The Muslim does not inherit from the disbeliever, nor the disbeliever from the Muslim" (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Adopted children, in Islamic law, do not inherit from adoptive parents as a fixed share — the Quran in Surah Al-Ahzab (33:4-5) preserves the biological lineage. They may, however, be left a bequest (wasiyyah) from up to one-third of the estate, which is the standard mechanism for caring for non-heirs the deceased loved.
The faraid system is sometimes criticised by those unfamiliar with how it actually works in practice. Three points are worth keeping in mind. First, the system distributes wealth widely across the family — parents, spouse, children, siblings and onward — rather than concentrating it in one heir, which prevents dynastic accumulation. Second, female heirs receive their share entirely for themselves; they bear no financial obligation to spend it on the household. Third, the male share carries the duty to support the family, which is why the 2:1 ratio between sons and daughters exists. Across an extended family, daughters often end up holding more disposable wealth than their brothers because their share is theirs to keep while their brothers' is spent on dependants.
For Muslims paying their annual zakat on inherited wealth, the new wealth becomes zakatable from the date you receive it, after one lunar year has passed since it joined your existing wealth above the nisab threshold. Inherited property used as a primary residence is not zakatable; inherited cash, gold and merchandise are.
This calculator is a teaching tool. It handles the most common heir combinations cleanly but cannot substitute for scholarly review when the case involves any of the following: half-siblings on the mother's or father's side, missing heirs whose status is uncertain, grandchildren inheriting alongside their grandparents, multiple wives, doctrines of radd and aul applied together, or contested estates across multiple jurisdictions. The Prophet ﷺ described faraid as "half of useful knowledge" precisely because real-world cases are intricate. Use this page to understand the principles, then take the final distribution to a qualified 'alim or your local Islamic court for confirmation.
No. A Muslim cannot bequeath to anyone who is already entitled to a fixed Quranic share. Bequests are reserved for non-heirs, and capped at one-third of the estate after debts. The remaining two-thirds must be distributed according to the Quranic shares.
In Islamic law the son carries the financial obligation to support his wife, his children, his parents in old age, and unmarried sisters. The daughter is herself supported by her father or husband and her wealth remains entirely her own. The 2:1 ratio reflects this asymmetric duty — daughters keep their share for themselves; sons must spend theirs to maintain a family.
No. This calculator is educational and covers common cases. Real estates frequently involve doctrines of Aul, Radd, Hajb, and the special rules for half-siblings and grandchildren that require scholarly judgement. Always have your final distribution reviewed by a qualified 'alim or by an Islamic court (mahkama shar'iyya) in your jurisdiction.
If no Quranic heir or asabah exists, the estate typically reverts to the public treasury (bayt al-mal) for the benefit of Muslims at large. Some scholars allow radd to distant relatives (dhawu al-arham) such as maternal uncles and paternal aunts before this step.