Core rules
Blocking (الحجب)
How a closer heir prevents a more distant one from inheriting. Hajb is the most common reason an expected heir gets nothing.
Blocking — Hajb — is the rule that prevents a more distant heir from inheriting when a closer one is alive. It's the most common reason an heir who looks like they should inherit ends up with nothing.
Two types of blocking
Classical scholars distinguish two types:
- Hajb hirman — total blocking. The heir gets nothing. This is what most people mean by "blocking" and what FairShare detects.
- Hajb nuqsan — reduction. The heir still inherits but at a smaller share. The mother going from 1/3 to 1/6 because of children present is a classic example.
The blocking chain
The general principle: closer relatives block more distant ones in the same line. Some examples:
- Son blocks son's son, all siblings, all uncles, and their descendants.
- Father blocks paternal grandfather, all siblings, and all collaterals (uncles and their sons).
- Full brother blocks paternal half-brother, all uncles, and their sons.
- Mother blocks both grandmothers (paternal and maternal).
Heirs who are never blocked
Six heirs are never totally blocked: father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter. Their share might shrink (the mother going from 1/3 to 1/6) but they always inherit something.
School-specific blocking
The Hanafi school adds a few cases the others don't:
- Father blocks the maternal grandmother (only Hanafi — others let her inherit).
- Paternal grandfather blocks all siblings (only Hanafi — others have him share via the grandfather-with-siblings rule).