What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a debt owed by the deceased wife to her husband?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a wife dies and owes a debt to her husband, the debt must be taken from her estate before it is divided among the heirs, because debt takes precedence over the rights of the heirs, as Allah Almighty says: "from [the proceeds of] a bequest she made or a debt." The husband takes the debt, then he takes his legal share of the inheritance. The husband must provide legitimate proof for the debt he claims, or the heirs must corroborate his claim; otherwise, his claim is not valid.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/192538
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 192538
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy