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How is the inheritance divided among the two wives, the four daughters, the three brothers, and the one granddaughter?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the deceased left behind only male descendants (i.e., no male ascendants or other male relatives), then the two wives receive one-eighth (1/8) as their prescribed share, to be divided equally between them, due to the presence of a lineal descendant (children). Allah (the Most High) says: (But if you have a child, then for them [the wives] is one eighth of what you leave) [An-Nisa: 12]. The four daughters receive two-thirds (2/3) as their prescribed share. Allah (the Most High) says: (But if there are [only] daughters, two or more, for them is two thirds of what he leaves) [An-Nisa: 11]. The remainder goes to the full brothers by way of residuary inheritance ('asabah), to be divided equally among them, based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: (Give the prescribed shares to those entitled to them, and what remains is for the closest male) [Bukhari and Muslim]. The granddaughter (daughter of the son) receives nothing because the daughters have exhausted the two-thirds share. The inheritance should be divided into 144 shares: 18 shares for the two wives (9 for each), 24 shares for each daughter, and 10 shares for each full brother. The matter must be referred to the Sharia courts to investigate the heirs, wills, and debts.

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

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