What is the ruling on inheritance and zakat regarding the estate of a deceased mother, inherited by her husband and minor children, knowing that the husband relinquished his share to his children equally, and the division of the estate was postponed until the children reach legal maturity, and the marriage expenses of the eldest daughter were paid from her share? And is the value of the estate calculated at the time of death or at the time of division? And how is zakat calculated for past years, on the share of each individual or on the total estate? And what are the parts of the estate upon which zakat is obligatory, and how are the benefits from cash amounts disposed of? And is zakat obligatory upon the daughter who does not have sufficient income? And how is the construction of the villa divided among the children if they used the remaining cash from the inheritance to complete its construction?
If a woman passes away leaving a husband, a son, and two daughters, and no other heirs, her husband receives one-fourth as a fixed share due to the existence of inheriting offspring. The remaining portion is distributed to the son and the two daughters by way of ta'sib (residuary heirship), with the male receiving the share of two females.
The value of the estate for the purpose of sale is estimated at the time of sale, not at the time of death.
Zakat is obligatory on the share of each individual heir if it reaches the nisab (minimum taxable amount) and a hawl (one lunar year) has passed over it. It is due for all past years if the conditions are met.
It is not permissible, according to Islamic law, to delay the division of the inheritance merely because some of the heirs are minors.
The categories of assets in the estate on which Zakat is obligatory are cash, gold, and silver, excluding ornamental jewelry. As for land, cars, household items, furniture, and clothes, no Zakat is due on them.
Zakat is immediately obligatory when its conditions are met.
If the heirs jointly contribute to completing the construction of a house, then each one's share in the house will be proportionate to the amount they paid for its construction.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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