Back to search

Is it permissible for parents to favor male children over female children in gifts and endowments during their lifetime, especially if the daughters are married and suffering from financial hardship, while the sons are well-off?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Favoring sons over daughters in gift-giving is an act of the Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyyah). Justice must be observed among all children, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Fear Allah and be just among your children," and "Be equitable among your children in gift-giving. If I were to prefer anyone, I would prefer women." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, disapproved of someone who did not act justly among his children in gift-giving and told him: "Indeed, I do not bear witness to injustice." The preponderant view among us regarding the nature of justice is equality between male and female. If favoritism occurs without a legitimate Sharia reason, the gift must be returned or adjusted. If he dies without returning it, it must be returned after his death.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy