Section: The Verses on Inheritance

Allah, Most High, says, “Allah instructs you concerning your children: to the male a share equal to that of two females” (al-Nisa’ 11) until His words, “These are the limits set by Allah. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, He will admit him into Gardens…” (al-Nisa’ 13), and at the close of the surah: “They ask you for a ruling. Say, ‘Allah gives you a ruling concerning the kalalah’” (al-Nisa’ 176) to the end of the passage.

• These noble verses set out the rulings of inheritance with the utmost clarity, detail, and wisdom. His counsel to the servants regarding their children stems from the perfection of His mercy and care, for He is more merciful to them than their own parents. For that reason He also charged the parents concerning their children: children are, in their parents’ hands, trusts from Allah. The parents must raise them in a manner that benefits their religion and their worldly life; if they do so, they have fulfilled the trust, and if not, they have squandered it and will bear its sin and loss.

• Allah then mentioned the inheritance of children and explained that they have three possible situations:

1. If both sons and daughters are present, they divide the estate—or whatever remains after the allotted shares—according to their number of heads, “to the male a share equal to that of two females” (al-Nisa’ 11), whether they are direct children or grandchildren through a son. From this it follows that:

2. If the offspring are males only, they share the estate equally. The one who is nearer in degree excludes the more distant among male descendants when that nearer relative is a male.