How it is calculated
- Claims on the estate: funeral costs first, then debts, then any bequest to a non-heir up to one third; the rest goes to the heirs.
- Exclusion (hajb): heirs blocked by a closer relative are removed — a son excludes siblings, the father excludes the grandfather, the mother excludes grandmothers.
- Fixed-share heirs: receive Qur’anic shares: one half, quarter, eighth, two thirds, third and sixth.
- Residuaries (‘asaba): take what remains, nearest first; when males and females share, a male gets twice a female’s share.
- ‘Awl: if fixed shares exceed the estate, all shares are reduced proportionally.
- Radd: if something is left and no residuary exists, it returns to the fixed-share heirs except spouses.
Special cases are handled too: the ‘Umariyyatan, Akdariyya, Mushtaraka (where the schools differ), and the grandfather with siblings by Zayd ibn Thabit’s method for the majority, or the grandfather excluding siblings for the Hanafis.
Worked example
A man leaves a wife, mother, father, a son and a daughter, with an estate of 120,000: the wife takes one eighth (15,000), the mother one sixth (20,000), the father one sixth (20,000), and the remaining 65,000 goes to the son and daughter 2:1 — son 43,333.33, daughter 21,666.67.
Frequently asked questions
Does the school of law change the result?
In most cases no. It differs in specific cases such as the grandfather with siblings, the Mushtaraka, the father’s mother with the father, and radd. Choose the school applied in your country or the one you follow.
Does a daughter always get half of a son?
When they inherit together, yes. But a daughter alone takes one half as a fixed share, and with radd can take the whole estate if no one else inherits.
Can I leave a bequest to an heir?
No bequest to an heir unless the other heirs consent; bequests to non-heirs are limited to one third after debts.
What if an heir dies before the estate is divided?
This is "munasakhat": the first estate is divided, then the second deceased’s share is divided among their own heirs. The calculator does not handle it directly.
Does it cover distant kin (dhawu al-arham)?
No — it covers fixed-share heirs and residuaries. If none exist, consult a specialist.