is a plural pronoun. His words, “more than that,” mean more than one brother or one sister. Then He says, “They share in one-third,” referring to them through both a plural pronoun—“they”—and an explicit plural noun—“partners.” This indicates that plural forms in the inheritance verses encompass numbers without restriction, from two upwards, as in His words:
“Allah instructs you concerning your children,”
“If he has siblings, his mother receives one-sixth,”
and:
“If they are siblings, both men and women.”
Section
As for the grandmother, as al-Siddīq said, no share is prescribed for her in Allah’s Book. The mother mentioned in Allah’s Book is described with qualifications that restrict the ruling to one’s immediate mother. Thus, although a grandmother may be called a mother, she is not included in the term “mother” used in the inheritance rulings. She is, however, included among the “mothers” in His words:
“Your mothers are forbidden to you in marriage.”
But the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “gave her one-sixth.” Her inheritance was therefore established by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. No general statement concerning grandmothers has been transmitted from him; rather, he awarded an inheritance to the grandmother who asked him. When the second grandmother came to Abū Bakr, he allowed her to share the one-sixth with the first.
People have differed concerning grandmothers. One view is that the two—the mother’s mother and the father’s mother—do not inherit, as held by Mālik and Abū Thawr. Another view is that only three inherit: these two and the grandfather’s mother, based on the report of Ibrāhīm al-Nakha'ī: “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,