dies leaving no child but a sister, she shall have half of what he leaves; and he inherits from her if she has no child.’” Thus, He assigned her half the estate and him the entire estate. This is the ruling concerning full siblings.

Then He says:

“If there are siblings, both men and women, the male shall have the share of two females.”

By agreement of the Muslims, this is the ruling concerning full siblings, not maternal half-siblings. Allah Most High’s statement of this ruling in this verse, and of the other ruling in the earlier verse, shows that the two categories are distinct. Since the scriptural text grants maternal half-siblings one-third, anyone who gives them less than that has wronged them. Full siblings belong to a different category. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Give the prescribed shares to those entitled to them; whatever remains goes to the nearest male relative.”

This entails that when the prescribed shares leave nothing, the residuary heirs receive nothing. Here, the prescribed shares have left nothing.

As for the claim, “If their father were a donkey, they would still share the same mother,” it is invalid both in terms of observable reality and in terms of revealed law.

As for observable reality, if their father were a donkey, their mother would have been a she-donkey, and they would not have been descendants of Adam.

If it is said, “What he means is that the father’s existence is equivalent to his nonexistence,” the response is: This is false, for what exists cannot be nonexistent.

As for revealed law, Allah has laid down a ruling for full siblings different from His ruling for maternal half-siblings.