What is the difference between "walad" (ولد) and "ibn" (ابن) in Islam?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The difference between "al-walad" (الولد) and "al-ibn" (الابن) is that "al-walad" encompasses both male and female, as stated in the Almighty's words: ﴿Allah instructs you concerning your children (awlādikum): for the male, what is equal to the share of two females﴾ [An-Nisa: 11], and His saying: ﴿And for his parents, each one of them is to have a sixth of what he left if he had children (walad). But if he had no children (walad) and his parents inherited from him, then for his mother is the third﴾ [An-Nisa: 11]. As for "al-ibn," it is specific to males, and its female counterpart is "al-bint" (البنت).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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