Islamic inheritance calculator, with the working shown.
Enter the estate and the relatives who survived. See each heir's share under the Hanafi school, step by step, after funeral costs, debts and any bequest.
How it works
- Funeral costs, then debts
- Bequest, up to one third
- Fixed shares (Quran 4:11, 4:12, 4:176)
- The rest to the residuary heirs
- Awl or radd if the shares do not fit
Hanafi rules. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools differ on a few cases, explained below. Not legal advice: in the US, UK and Canada, Islamic shares are only binding through a valid will.
Everything is worked out on this device and nothing is sent anywhere.
Guide
Islamic inheritance, how the shares work.
Allah set out the shares of inheritance Himself in Surah An-Nisa, and called them "an obligation from Allah".1 The Prophet ﷺ said: "Give the fixed shares to those entitled to them, and what remains goes to the nearest male relative."2
Before the shares: four rights on the estate
- Funeral and burial costs, at a reasonable level.
- Debts, including any unpaid mahr owed to the wife.
- The bequest (wasiyyah), up to one third of what remains, and not to an heir.3
- Then the rest is divided among the heirs.
Fixed shares and residuaries
Twelve kinds of heir have fixed shares (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 2/3, 1/3 or 1/6): the husband, wife, father, grandfather, mother, grandmothers, daughters, son's daughters, full sisters, paternal half sisters and maternal half siblings. After them, the residuary heirs (asabah) take what is left, starting with sons, who take twice the share of a daughter. When the fixed shares add up to more than the estate, each is reduced in proportion (awl). When something is left and there is no residuary, it is returned to the blood relatives (radd).
Where the madhhabs differ
The paternal grandfather takes the place of the father and blocks all brothers and sisters, following Abu Hanifa. Leftover estate is returned (radd) to blood relatives but not to a spouse. In the case of a husband, mother, two maternal half siblings and a full brother (al-mushtarakah), the full brother receives nothing.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- The grandfather shares with the full and paternal siblings instead of blocking them. In al-mushtarakah, the full brothers share the maternal siblings' third. Leftover estate traditionally went to the public treasury, though later Shafi'i scholars allow radd.
- Hanbali
- The grandfather shares with the siblings. Radd to blood relatives is accepted, as in the Hanafi school. In al-mushtarakah, the full brother receives nothing, as in the Hanafi school.
Islamic inheritance in the US, UK and Canada
If someone dies without a will, state or provincial intestacy law decides who inherits, and it does not follow the Islamic shares. To make sure your estate is divided Islamically, write a valid will under your local law that leaves the estate according to these shares. Our Islamic will builder helps you draft one to take to a lawyer.
- Quran 4:11, 4:12 and 4:176.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6732; Sahih Muslim 1615.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2742 (one third); Sunan Abi Dawud 2870 (no bequest to an heir).
- Al-Sirajiyyah of Siraj al-Din al-Sajawandi, the standard Hanafi text on inheritance. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
How is a son's share compared to a daughter's?
A son receives twice the share of a daughter when they inherit together (Quran 4:11). This comes with the man's duty to support the family and pay mahr.
What does a wife inherit?
One quarter if her husband left no children, and one eighth if he did. Two or more wives share that quarter or eighth equally.
What does a husband inherit?
One half if his wife left no children, and one quarter if she did.
Can I leave more to one child?
Not through a bequest, because a bequest cannot go to an heir. Gifts made during your life, while healthy, are allowed, though scholars advise fairness between children.
Does this calculator include distant relatives?
It covers the 23 relatives most often involved. If no fixed-share or residuary heir remains, the estate goes to distant relatives (dhawu al-arham), which needs a scholar.