Is it permissible for a father to divide his properties, which he built and inherited, among his children (four daughters and three sons) by giving each son a house and a shop, and each daughter half a shop? If it is not permissible, is it obligatory to advise him of that, taking into account the difficulty of convincing him and the fear of establishing a case against him?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A father's division of his property during his lifetime is a gift, not an inheritance. Religiously, he is obligated to be fair among his children in this division, either by giving the male the equivalent of two females' shares, or by giving the male the same share as the female. What the father is doing by giving the daughter half a shop and the son a house and a shop, and dividing the oil in that manner, is a violation of justice. Therefore, he must be advised to fear Allah and to uphold justice. If he insists on not being fair, then the sons should return to the daughters whatever exceeds their share to achieve justice.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/99208
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 99208
- 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