Methodology
13 short articles on how the rules work
Each one covers a school, a rule or a special case: the verses behind it, worked examples, and where the schools disagree.
Schools of thought (madhabs)
The General (majority Sunni) opinion
Follows the rulings the four Sunni schools agree on, and the majority view where they split. Use it if you don't follow one school in particular.
Hanafi inheritance
The largest Sunni school. The grandfather blocks the siblings outright, and full siblings get nothing in the Musharakah case.
Maliki inheritance
Followed across North and West Africa. Classical Maliki scholars were reluctant to apply Radd, and the school agrees with Shafi'i on the Musharakah case.
Shafi'i inheritance
Followed in Egypt, the Levant, and Southeast Asia. When the grandfather inherits with siblings he gets the best of three options, and the school applies the Musharakah ruling.
Hanbali inheritance
Followed across the Arabian peninsula. On most contested cases it sides with Shafi'i and Maliki rather than Hanafi.
Core rules
Fixed shares (الفروض)
The six fractions the Quran prescribes (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 2/3, 1/3, 1/6) and which heirs get each one.
Blocking (الحجب)
How a closer heir stops a more distant one from inheriting. It's the most common reason someone you'd expect to inherit gets nothing.
Residuary heirs (العصبة)
Asabah heirs take what's left after the fixed shares are paid. There are three kinds: by self, by another, and with another.
Awl (العول)
When the fixed shares add up to more than the estate, Awl reduces each one in proportion until they fit.
Radd (الرد)
When the fixed shares add up to less than the estate and there's no residuary heir, Radd gives the surplus back to the heirs other than the spouse.
Special cases
Umariatan (العمريتان)
Two cases Caliph Umar ruled on, where the heirs are a spouse, the mother, and the father. The mother takes 1/3 of the remainder, not 1/3 of the total.
Musharakah (المشتركة)
When the fixed shares use up the estate, full siblings join the maternal half-siblings in their 1/3 share. Maliki and Shafi'i apply this. Hanafi doesn't.
Grandfather with siblings (الجد مع الإخوة)
When a grandfather inherits alongside the deceased's siblings, does he block them (Hanafi) or share with them (Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali)?
Common questions
What is Fara'id?
Fara'id is the Islamic law of inheritance. It uses fixed shares set out in the Quran (Surah An-Nisa 4:11, 4:12, and 4:176) to decide how a Muslim's estate is divided among their heirs.
How many fixed Quranic shares are there?
Six: one-half (1/2), one-quarter (1/4), one-eighth (1/8), two-thirds (2/3), one-third (1/3), and one-sixth (1/6). The fixed shares article lists which heirs get each one.
Which schools of thought does FairShare support?
The four classical Sunni madhabs: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali. There's also a General option that follows the points the four schools agree on. Pick it if you don't follow a specific madhab.
What is Awl?
Sometimes the fixed shares add up to more than the whole estate. Awl reduces every share in proportion so the total fits the estate.
What is Radd?
When the fixed shares add up to less than the estate and there are no residuary heirs (Asabah), Radd gives the surplus back to the fixed-share heirs other than the spouse, in proportion to their shares.
Is FairShare a replacement for a mufti or attorney?
No. FairShare is for learning and checking your understanding. A real distribution depends on things a calculator can't see, like debts, a wasiyyah, and local law. For an actual estate, talk to a qualified mufti and a licensed attorney.