The main shares are fixed in Surah an-Nisa. A wife gets 1/8 if the husband left children and 1/4 if not. A husband gets 1/4 or 1/2. A daughter gets half a son's share, or 1/2 alone, or 2/3 shared with other daughters. Each parent gets 1/6 when there are children. A sister gets 1/2, or 2/3 with other sisters, only when there is no son, son's son, father or daughter (in Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith fiqh, no paternal grandfather either). With a daughter she takes the residue instead.
The tables below give every situation for each heir. To divide a real estate, fill in the heirs in the calculator above: it applies all the conditions at once and shows the amount in rupees.
Share of the wife (widow) in her husband's property
Quran 4:12: 'And for them is one fourth if you leave no child. But if you leave a child, then for them is an eighth of what you leave.'
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| The husband left children or a son's children | 1/8 | 1/8 (any child or grandchild counts, including a daughter's child) |
| The husband left no children | 1/4 | 1/4 |
| Two, three or four wives | They share the 1/8 or 1/4 equally | They share the 1/8 or 1/4 equally |
| Wife is the only heir | 1/4. Hanafi: the rest returns to her if no relative at all is left. Other schools: the rest goes to the public treasury | 1/4, the rest goes to the Imam |
| Land | Same share of land as of other assets | No share of the land or its value; her share of buildings and trees is paid by value |
Unpaid haq mehr is a debt of the estate, so the widow receives it in full before the division and then takes her share as well.
Share of the husband in his wife's property
Quran 4:12 gives the husband half of what his wife leaves if she has no child, and a quarter if she has.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| The wife left children or a son's children | 1/4 | 1/4 (any child or grandchild counts) |
| The wife left no children | 1/2 | 1/2 |
| Husband is the only heir | 1/2. Hanafi: the rest returns to him if no relative is left. Other schools: public treasury | 1/2, plus the other half by radd |
| Children from another husband | Still count and reduce him to 1/4 | Still count and reduce him to 1/4 |
Share of a daughter in her father's or mother's property
Quran 4:11: 'For the male, what is equal to the share of two females.' The daughter's share is the same whether she is married or not, and from her mother's estate as from her father's.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| With a son | Residuary: each daughter gets half a son's share | Each daughter gets half a son's share |
| One daughter, no son | 1/2, plus radd if no residuary is left | 1/2, plus radd (the whole estate if she is alone) |
| Two or more daughters, no son | 2/3 shared equally | 2/3 shared equally |
| Shares add up to more than the whole | Reduced in proportion ('awl) | Daughters take what is left after spouse and parents |
| Brothers and sisters of the deceased | Do not reduce her share; a full sister takes the residue with her | Excluded by the daughter |
Share of a son
Sons have no fixed fraction. They take what is left after the fixed shares, which is usually the largest portion.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| With daughters | Residuary: twice each daughter's share | Twice each daughter's share |
| With parents | Parents 1/6 each, sons and daughters take the rest | Parents 1/6 each, children take the rest |
| With a spouse | Spouse 1/8 or 1/4 first, then the rest | Spouse 1/8 or 1/4 first, then the rest |
| Who he excludes | Brothers, sisters, grandchildren, uncles and cousins | Everyone outside the first class, and grandchildren |
Share of the mother in her son's or daughter's property
Quran 4:11 gives each parent 1/6 when the deceased had children, and the mother 1/3 when the deceased had no children, reduced to 1/6 if the deceased had brothers or sisters.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| The deceased left children or a son's children | 1/6 | 1/6 |
| Two or more brothers or sisters, no children | 1/6 | 1/6, but only if the father is alive and there are 2 brothers, 1 brother and 2 sisters, or 4 sisters on the father's side |
| No children, fewer than two siblings | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Only a spouse, the father and the mother | 1/3 of what is left after the spouse (Umariyyatan) | 1/3 of the whole estate |
| With one daughter and no residuary | 1/6, plus radd | 1/6, plus radd unless reduced by hajib siblings |
Share of the father
The father is both a sharer and, in Sunni fiqh, a residuary: he takes 1/6 when there is a son, and the rest when there is none.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| The deceased left a son or son's son | 1/6 | 1/6 |
| The deceased left only daughters | 1/6 plus any residue | 1/6 plus his part of the radd |
| No children | Residue after spouse and mother | What is left after spouse and mother |
| Who he excludes | Grandfather, brothers, sisters, uncles; in Hanafi, Shafi'i and Maliki fiqh also his own mother | Everyone outside the first class |
Share of a sister in her brother's or sister's property
Quran 4:176 covers the full and paternal sister (a person who dies leaving no child or father). Quran 4:12 covers maternal half siblings.
| Situation | Sunni schools | Shia (Ja'fari) |
|---|---|---|
| A son, son's son or the father is alive | Excluded | Excluded (any first class heir excludes her) |
| Grandfather is alive | Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith: excluded. Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali: shares with him | Shares with him; he counts as a brother |
| With a daughter or son's daughter | Full sister takes the residue with her | Excluded by the daughter |
| One full sister, no brother | 1/2 | 1/2, plus radd |
| Two or more full sisters, no brother | 2/3 shared | 2/3 shared, plus radd |
| With a full brother | Half a brother's share | Half a brother's share |
| Maternal half sister | 1/6 alone, 1/3 shared with other maternal siblings equally | 1/6 alone, 1/3 shared equally |
Paternal half sisters (same father) take a full sister's place when there is none. With one full sister they get 1/6, and two full sisters shut them out unless a paternal half brother is with them.
Worked example: sister's share with a daughter
A man leaves Rs 3,000,000, one daughter and one full sister, with no son, father or grandfather.
- Sunni fiqh: the daughter takes 1/2 = Rs 1,500,000, and the sister takes the other half as a residuary alongside the daughter, Rs 1,500,000.
- Shia fiqh: the daughter is in the first class and excludes the sister, so the daughter takes the whole Rs 3,000,000 by her half plus radd.
This is the most common situation where the two traditions give a different answer. The Shia inheritance calculator and the Hanafi calculator show the working for any family.
Questions about shares
What is a daughter's share if she is the only child?
In Sunni fiqh an only daughter takes 1/2. The other half goes to the residuaries, such as the father, grandfather, brothers or uncles; if none exist, it returns to her by radd, after the spouse's share. In Shia fiqh she takes her half plus a share of any surplus. The parents share that surplus with her in proportion, and the spouse is left out of it: with both parents alive she ends up with 3/5, and with no parent she takes everything after the spouse.
What is the mother's share in her son's property?
One sixth if her son left children, or if he left two or more brothers or sisters. Otherwise one third. When the only heirs are the son's wife or husband, his father and his mother, Sunni fiqh gives her one third of what remains after the spouse.
Do sisters get a share if there is a brother?
Yes, when they inherit together with him: each brother takes twice each sister. Both are shut out by a son, a son's son or the father of the deceased, and in Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith fiqh by the paternal grandfather too.
How many wives can share the 1/8?
Up to four. They split the 1/8 (or 1/4 if there are no children) equally, so two wives with children get 1/16 each. A wife still in the iddah of a revocable divorce also shares. The rules for a wife divorced during the husband's last illness differ between the schools, so ask a mufti.
Calculators
Last reviewed 29 September 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.