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How is the estate of a deceased father, who was a Muslim Hanafi, to be divided among his wife and four daughters, and do his brothers have a right to this estate, and what is their share of it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the wife, her sisters, and their mother are Muslim, and the father died as a Muslim, then they inherit from his estate. His daughters inherit two-thirds if he has no male child, and his wife inherits one-eighth if he died while she was still under his marital care. Whatever remains is inherited by his brothers, if they are full brothers or paternal half-brothers, and are Muslim. This is supported by the words of Allah the Almighty: "Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females. But if there are [only] daughters, two or more, for them is two thirds of what he left," and "And for them [wives] is a fourth of what you leave if you have no child. But if you have a child, then for them is an eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you [may have] made or debt." And in the Hadith: "Give the prescribed shares to those who are entitled to them, and whatever remains is for the nearest male relative." Furthermore, the residential house is part of the estate, and the wife, her sisters, and their mother do not have the right to claim sole possession of it except with the consent of all other heirs.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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