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What is the authenticity of attributing the revelation of verse 11 of Surat An-Nisa (Chapter 4, verse 11) to the case of Sa’d ibn Ar-Rabi’s wife and his two daughters, and does the distribution of inheritance in this case contradict what is stated in the Qur’an and the Sunnah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

What we have stated regarding the division of inheritance is correct and is a matter of consensus among scholars, as evidenced by legal proofs from the texts of revelation. The questioner's statement, "This is contrary to reality, rationally, intellectually, and narratively," is incorrect. Perhaps the questioner found difficulty with the wording of the noble verse: ﴿فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاءً فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ﴾ [An-Nisa:11]. The scholars have clarified this ambiguity; some said that "fawqa" (above) is an extra particle. They also clarified that the share of two daughters is two-thirds, which is further explained by another verse concerning full sisters: ﴿فَإِن كَانَتَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُمَا الثُّلُثَانِ مِمَّا تَرَكَ﴾ [An-Nisa:176]. Thus, two daughters are assimilated to two sisters in sharing two-thirds. Ibn al-Arabi said that assimilating two daughters to those above two is clear from six aspects. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr regarding the saying of Allah the Almighty: ﴿فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاءً﴾ meaning daughters: ﴿فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ﴾ meaning more than two, or if they were two with no male accompanying them: ﴿فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ﴾, and the remainder is for the 'asabah (agnatic heirs).

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

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