Short answer
Not automatically. If the house was the husband's, it is part of his estate: the widow inherits one eighth of it if he left children, or one quarter if not, and the rest goes to the other heirs. If she owned part of it, that part is hers already. The heirs can agree to let her live there.
The deceased's house is estate property divided by the fixed shares; the wife takes one quarter or one eighth. Her own share of a jointly owned home is hers and not part of the estate. She keeps her iddah in the house, and if her share is not enough and the heirs refuse her, she may move. The estate owes her any unpaid mahr first.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
In the West, the family home often passes legally to the surviving spouse, especially when it was owned jointly with the right of survivorship. Islamic law looks at it differently, so families need to understand both.
Who owns what:
- The husband's share of the house is part of his estate. The widow inherits one eighth of the estate if he left children (from her or another wife), or one quarter if he did not. His children, parents and others share the rest.
- Her own share, if she paid for part of it or it was gifted to her, stays hers and is not divided.
- Unpaid mahr is a debt; it is paid to her from the estate before the inheritance, and she can take it in the form of a share of the house.
When the law gives her the whole house. If the deed passes the whole house to her by survivorship, she now holds the other heirs' shares on trust in Islamic terms. She should give them their shares or agree a settlement with them.
Living there. She spends her iddah in the house; see where a widow keeps her iddah. After that, many families agree that the mother stays as long as she lives. That is a beautiful act of kindness by the children, and fine as long as each heir agrees freely and keeps his ownership; see heirs agreeing on the division. Minor children's shares must be protected.
A mortgage on the house is a debt of the estate. To avoid confusion, a husband can write an Islamic will. For a family's exact shares, use the inheritance calculator and ask a mufti.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:12
۞ وَلَكُمْ نِصْفُ مَا تَرَكَ أَزْوَٰجُكُمْ إِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّهُنَّ وَلَدٌۭ ۚ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُنَّ وَلَدٌۭ فَلَكُمُ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكْنَ ۚ مِنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍۢ يُوصِينَ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍۢ ۚ وَلَهُنَّ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكْتُمْ إِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّكُمْ وَلَدٌۭ ۚ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ وَلَدٌۭ فَلَهُنَّ ٱلثُّمُنُ مِمَّا تَرَكْتُم ۚ مِّنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍۢ تُوصُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍۢ ۗ وَإِن كَانَ رَجُلٌۭ يُورَثُ كَلَٰلَةً أَوِ ٱمْرَأَةٌۭ وَلَهُۥٓ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌۭ فَلِكُلِّ وَٰحِدٍۢ مِّنْهُمَا ٱلسُّدُسُ ۚ فَإِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَكْثَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فِى ٱلثُّلُثِ ۚ مِنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍۢ يُوصَىٰ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍ غَيْرَ مُضَآرٍّۢ ۚ وَصِيَّةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌۭ ﴿١٢﴾
And for you is half of what your wives leave if they have no child. But if they have a child, for you is one fourth of what they leave, after any bequest they [may have] made or debt. And for the wives is one fourth if you leave no child. But if you leave a child, then for them is an eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you [may have] made or debt. And if a man or woman leaves neither ascendants nor descendants but has a brother or a sister, then for each one of them is a sixth. But if they are more than two, they share a third, after any bequest which was made or debt, as long as there is no detriment [caused]. [This is] an ordinance from Allah, and Allah is Knowing and Forbearing.
The widow's share of everything her husband left, including the home.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6732
Sahih... ألحقوا الفرائض بأهلها فما بقي فهو لأولى رجل ذكر ...
"Give the fixed shares to those entitled to them, and what remains goes to the nearest male relative."
The widow's fixed share comes first, then the residuary heirs.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Fara'id. The wife's quarter or eighth.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Talaq, Bab al-'Iddah, the widow's residence. The widow lives in her share of the house during iddah.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.