Special cases
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/Hanbali)?
When a deceased leaves no father but does leave a paternal grandfather alongside siblings (full or paternal half), the four Sunni schools split. The Hanafi school has the grandfather block the siblings entirely. The other three schools have him share with them in a calculation that gives him whichever option is best.
The Hanafi position
The grandfather is treated like the father for blocking purposes. He blocks all siblings — full and paternal half — and inherits as residuary. This is the simpler of the two outcomes.
The Maliki / Shafi'i / Hanbali position
The grandfather shares with the siblings, getting the larger of three options:
- Muqasama — share with the siblings as if he were one of them, at a 2:1 male:female ratio. The grandfather counts as 2 parts (like a brother).
- One-third of the remainder — after any other fixed-share heirs are paid.
- One-sixth of the estate — the minimum guaranteed share.
Whichever option produces the largest grandfather share is what he takes. The remainder is divided among the siblings at the usual 2:1 ratio.
Worked example
Deceased leaves: paternal grandfather + 2 full brothers + 1 full sister. No other heirs.
- Hanafi: grandfather blocks the siblings, takes the entire estate.
- Other schools: compute three options for the grandfather. Sibling parts = 2 brothers × 2 + 1 sister × 1 = 5; grandfather counts as 2 more, total 7 parts. Option 1 gives him 2/7. Option 2 gives him 1/3. Option 3 gives him 1/6. He takes the largest: 1/3. The remaining 2/3 splits among siblings at 2:1: each brother gets 4/15, the sister gets 2/15.
Why the disagreement
The grandfather is a parental figure (like the father, who blocks siblings) but also one generation removed (which puts him on a level with siblings rather than above them). The schools weighed those two intuitions differently.