Question 471: How is the inheritance of a woman who dies and leaves behind a husband and several children, both male and female, divided?

186 13 Feb 2021
Read Answer

Answer

✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَبِي زِيَادٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُبْدَأُ بِهِ مِنَ الْمَالِ الْكَفَنُ ثُمَّ الدَّيْنُ ثُمَّ الْوَصِيَّةُ ثُمَّ الْمِيرَاثُ.

📚 Al-Tahdheeb, Vol. 6, p. 188

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, narrated from his father that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The first thing to be taken from the deceased's wealth is the shroud, then the debts, then the will (of the deceased, up to one-third of the wealth), and then the inheritance.

2 عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْخَزَّازِ وَ غَيْرِهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: لَا يَرِثُ مَعَ الْأُمِّ وَ لَا مَعَ الْأَبِ وَ لَا مَعَ الِابْنِ وَ لَا مَعَ الِابْنَةِ إِلَّا الزَّوْجُ وَ الزَّوْجَةُ وَ إِنَّ الزَّوْجَ لَا يُنْقَصُ مِنَ النِّصْفِ شَيْئاً إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ وَلَدٌ وَ الزَّوْجَةَ لَا تُنْقَصُ مِنَ الرُّبُعِ شَيْئاً إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ وَلَدٌ فَإِذَا كَانَ مَعَهُمَا وَلَدٌ فَلِلزَّوْجِ الرُّبُعُ وَ لِلْمَرْأَةِ الثُّمُنُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 7, p. 82

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, said: In the presence of a mother, a father, a son, and a daughter, no one inherits except the husband and the wife. Indeed, the inheritance of a husband, if they have no children, is not less than half, and the inheritance of a wife, if they have no children, is not less than one-fourth. So, if there are children with the wife or husband, for the husband it will be one-fourth and for the wife it will be one-eighth.

3 عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَحَدِهِمَا قَالَ: إِنَّ فَاطِمَةَ انْطَلَقَتْ إلی ابي بکر فَطَلَبَتْ مِيرَاثَهَا مِنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ص- فَقَالَ إِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ لَا يُورِثُ فَقَالَتْ أَ كَفَرْتَ بِاللَّهِ وَ كَذَبْتَ بِكِتَابِهِ- قَالَ اللَّهُ يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلادِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ [سورة نساء آیه ۱۱] .

📚 Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 225

Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq, peace be upon them, said: Fatimah, peace be upon her, went to Abu Bakr (may Allah curse him) and asked for her inheritance from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He said: The Prophet of Allah does not give inheritance! Fatimah Zahra, peace be upon her, said: Have you disbelieved in Allah and denied the Book of Allah?! Allah said in (Surah An-Nisa, verse 11):

'Allah advises you concerning your children: for the male, a share equivalent to that of two females.'

✅By contemplating the above narrations, it is clear that if a woman dies and leaves behind a husband and several children, both male and female, first her shroud is taken from the wealth, then her debts are paid, and then if she has made a will regarding one-third of her wealth, it is carried out with its specific rulings. The rest of the wealth is considered inheritance. According to narration 2, since there are also children, one-fourth of the wealth goes to the husband, and the rest of the wealth is divided among the children with the male getting twice the share of the female.

✅The assumption of the above question is in a case where the woman's father and mother or one of them has died. If the woman's father and mother are alive and there is a husband and children, both male and female, the woman's inheritance is divided as follows after the shroud, debts, and will:

4 عَنْ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً تَرَكَتْ زَوْجَهَا وَ أَبَوَيْهَا وَ أَوْلَاداً ذُكُوراً وَ إِنَاثاً كَانَ لِلزَّوْجِ الرُّبُعُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَ لِلْأَبَوَيْنِ السُّدُسَانِ وَ مَا بَقِيَ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ.

📚 Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 226

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: If a woman leaves behind her husband, her father, her mother, and her children, both male and female, in the Book of Allah, one-fourth will be for the husband, and for the father and mother, two-sixths (one-sixth for each), and the rest of the wealth will be for the male with a share equivalent to that of two females.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ