Skip to content
Assabile

Wife only: dividing the inheritance

The division according to the majority view, with the basis of each share. Add the value of the estate to see the amounts, or edit the example to fit your family.

Inheritance result

A man dies leaving his wife.

Edit this example

Who gets what

  1. The wife 14 25%
  2. Public treasury (bayt al-mal) 34 75%

In the classical view of the four schools, the remainder does not return to the spouse: it goes to the public treasury. Some later Hanafis, and several laws (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt…), give it to the spouse.

Family tree

The deceasedالمتوفى
The wife 14
Add amounts Optional: the amount of each share, calculated on your device.

These amounts never leave your device and are not included in the shared link.

Why these shares?

  • The wife14

    The wife receives one quarter (1/4): the deceased left no child and no son’s child.

    Surah An-Nisa, verse 12

  • Public treasury (bayt al-mal)34

    In the classical view of the four schools, the remainder does not return to the spouse: it goes to the public treasury. Some later Hanafis, and several laws (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt…), give it to the spouse.

The verses behind these shares

The text, its translation and explanation; listen to them recited.

Surah An-Nisa, verse 12

وَلَكُمْ نِصْفُ مَا تَرَكَ أَزْوَٰجُكُمْ إِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّهُنَّ وَلَدٌ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُنَّ وَلَدٌ فَلَكُمُ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكْنَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِينَ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍ وَلَهُنَّ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكْتُمْ إِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّكُمْ وَلَدٌ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمْ وَلَدٌ فَلَهُنَّ ٱلثُّمُنُ مِمَّا تَرَكْتُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ تُوصُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍ وَإِن كَانَ رَجُلٌ يُورَثُ كَلَٰلَةً أَوِ ٱمْرَأَةٌ وَلَهُۥٓ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ فَلِكُلِّ وَٰحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا ٱلسُّدُسُ فَإِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَكْثَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَهُمْ شُرَكَآءُ فِى ٱلثُّلُثِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصَىٰ بِهَآ أَوْ دَيْنٍ غَيْرَ مُضَآرٍّ وَصِيَّةً مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٌ ۝١٢

12. And for you is half of what your wives leave if they have no child. But if they have a child, for you is one fourth of what they leave, after any bequest they [may have] made or debt. And for them [i.e., the wives] is one fourth if you leave no child. But if you leave a child, then for them is an eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you [may have] made or debt. And if a man or woman leaves neither ascendants nor descendants but has a brother or a sister, then for each one of them is a sixth. But if they are more than two, they share a third, after any bequest which was made or debt, as long as there is no detriment [caused]. [This is] an ordinance from Allāh, and Allāh is Knowing and Forbearing.

Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary

Explanation of the verse

You have half of what your wives leave, if they have no child. If they have a child, whether it is your child or not, then you get a fourth of the wealth they leave, after any bequest they have made and the repayment of any debts they had. Wives get a quarter of what you leave, if you have no child, whether it is their child or not. If you have a child, then they get an eighth of what you leave, after any bequest you have made and the repayment of any debts you had. If someone dies without any parents or children to inherit from them, but they have a brother or sister from the same mother as them, then each of them gets a sixth. If they have more than one brother or sister from the same mother as them, then they share a third, with brothers and sisters receiving the same share – this is after any bequest that they leave and the repayment of any debts they had, with the condition that the bequest does not cause harm to any of the inheritors, such as it being more than a third of the total of the wealth. The rulings contained in the verses about inheritance law are an obligation on you, and Allah knows what is in the interests of His servants in this world and the Afterlife. He is forbearing, and not quick to punish.

Step-by-step calculation

  1. The fixed shares

    • The wife : 14 (one quarter)
  2. Base of the calculation: 4

    All shares are brought to the same denominator: the estate is divided into 4 equal parts (asl al-mas’ala).

  3. The public treasury

    3/4 is left. In the classical view of the four schools, the remainder does not return to the spouse: it goes to the public treasury. Some later Hanafis, and several laws (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt…), give it to the spouse.

  4. Final base: 4 parts

    Each heir receives a whole number of parts out of 4.

    HeirShareParts out of 4Each
    The wife 14 1 1
    Public treasury (bayt al-mal) 34 3 3
    Total14

According to the schools

Same result in the majority view and the four schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali).

Similar examples

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 2 جمادى الأولى 1448 هـ