New to the Qur'an? Start with The Qur'an: What It Is, How It Came Down, and How It Was Kept, then read Muhammad ﷺ: A Life. All articles: Deen: Start Here.
Deen · Interactive · الفرائض
Tell it who survives the person who has died, and it works out each heir's share as the Qur'an sets it out, with the verse or hadith behind every fraction. It covers the close family; for anything wider, a scholar trained in farāʾiḍ should check it. It also explains how this sits with Australian law, because in Australia the shares only apply if a valid will says so.
The person who died was
Who survives them? (living, and Muslim)
Add the estate figures (optional)
The three verses
Children and parents
Spouses and maternal siblings
Full and paternal siblings (kalālah)
How it works
Before anything is shared
Qur'an The shares come “after any bequest or debt” 4:11. Scholars By consensus, funeral costs and debts come first.
Sunna A bequest is limited to one third: Saʿd asked to give away more, and the Prophet ﷺ said “a third, and a third is a lot” . It cannot go to someone who already inherits: “there is no bequest for an heir” .
Fixed shares first, then the residue
Sunna “Give the fixed shares to those entitled to them, and what remains goes to the nearest male relative” . So the spouse, parents and daughters take their fractions first; sons, and in their absence the father or brothers, take what is left. A son takes twice a daughter's share 4:11.
When the shares add up to more, or less
Scholars If the fixed shares total more than the whole, every share is reduced in proportion (ʿawl), a method ʿUmar adopted with the Companions' agreement. If something is left and no one takes the residue, it goes back to the fixed-share heirs in proportion (radd), except the spouse in the main view of the schools. Both are calculated for you above.
Who does not inherit
Sunna “A Muslim does not inherit from a non-Muslim, nor a non-Muslim from a Muslim” . A person who kills the one they would inherit from is excluded . A bequest (up to a third) is how many Muslims provide for non-Muslim family, stepchildren or others outside the shares.
Why a son takes twice a daughter
Scholars The usual explanation is that the man carries the financial duties: the dowry, and the upkeep of his wife and children 4:34, while a woman's wealth is hers alone. The rule is not general: mother and father take an equal sixth when there is a son, and maternal brothers and sisters share equally 4:12.
In Australia
Without a will, these shares do not apply
If someone dies in New South Wales without a valid will, the estate passes under the intestacy rules in the Succession Act 2006 (NSW), which do not follow the Qur'anic shares. Other states and territories have their own similar rules. To have the shares applied, you need a valid will that says so.
A will can follow the shares
A will is not invalid because it follows religious principles; it must meet the normal formal rules (in NSW, in writing, signed, and witnessed by two people). NSW judges have upheld religious wishes in wills and have noted the point directly. Many Muslims add a bequest of up to a third and name an executor who understands what the will intends.
Family provision claims
Under NSW law, eligible people (including a spouse, children and some dependants) can ask the Supreme Court for more from an estate if the will does not adequately provide for them, generally within 12 months of the death. The court can take into account the person's reasons and wishes, including religious ones, but the outcome is not guaranteed.
What a will does not cover
Superannuation is paid by the fund, usually by a death benefit nomination, not by the will. Property held as joint tenants passes to the surviving owner automatically. Both can upset the shares unless they are planned with them in mind.
This page is research, not a fatwa and not legal advice. For a will, speak to a lawyer who has drafted Islamic wills, and have a scholar check the distribution.
Sources
Qur'an: Arabic with Khattab's English via quran.com. Hadith: sunnah.com, with grading as shown there. Calculator rules follow the agreed rules of the four Sunni schools for these heirs; where they differ (the mushtarakah case and radd to a spouse) the page flags it.