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What is the share of each female heir (mother, daughter, two wives, full sisters) when the deceased has debts?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The debts of the deceased must be paid from his estate before its distribution, as Allah states: (after any bequest he may have made or any debt). Whatever remains after paying the debt is distributed among the heirs. The mother receives one-sixth due to the presence of a lineal descendant, as Allah says: (And for his parents, each of them is to have a sixth of what he left if he has a child). The two wives receive one-eighth as a prescribed share—due to the presence of a lineal descendant—divided equally between them, as Allah says: (But if you have a child, then for them is one-eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you may have made or any debt). The daughter receives one-half because she is alone, as Allah says: (But if there is only one, she will have half). The remaining share goes to the full sisters by way of ta'sib (residuary heirship), because sisters inherit by ta'sib when there are daughters. The estate is divided into 144 shares: 72 shares for the daughter, 24 shares for the mother, 18 shares for the two wives (divided between them), and 10 shares for each full sister. It is advisable to consult Sharia courts for matters of inheritance.

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

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