What do we understand from the distribution of inheritance where the share of the male is twice that of the female?
ما الذي يمكن فهمه من توزيع الشرع للتركة بنصيب "للذكر مثل حظ الأنثيين"؟
Islamic inheritance laws are established directly by Allah to ensure absolute justice, based on the differing financial responsibilities placed upon men and women in the Islamic social structure.
لقد شرع الله قوانين الميراث الإسلامية مباشرة لضمان العدالة المطلقة، بناء على المسؤوليات المالية المختلفة الملقاة على عاتق الرجال والنساء في البنية الاجتماعية الإسلامية.
The Divine Obligation of Shares | فريضة الأنصبة الإلهية
1. The Prohibition of Alteration
For each of those mentioned in the verse, it is not permissible to reduce the specified share, nor to increase it. Whoever does otherwise has violated what Allah has imposed.
1. تحريم التبديل
لكل فرد من المذكورين في الآية النصيب المسمى، لا يجوز الإنقاص منه ولا الزيادة، ومن فعل غير هذا فقد خالف ما فرض الله.
2. The Quranic Command
Allah Almighty says: (Allah commands you regarding your children: the share of the male will be twice that of the female.) Allah also said: (This is an obligation from Allah). This means it is a duty that Allah has imposed and one should not deviate from it.
2. الأمر القرآني
قال تعالى: (يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ ۖ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ). فإن الله قال: (فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّهِ) أي واجب أوجبه الله لا يجوز الحكم بخلافه.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Can a family mutually agree to divide the inheritance equally between sons and daughters?
The initial distribution must be done strictly according to the Quranic shares (the male receiving twice the share of the female). Once the wealth is legally distributed and becomes their personal property, a brother may voluntarily gift a portion of his wealth to his sister out of his own free will, but the Islamic ruling itself cannot be altered or ignored.
Does the male always get twice the share of the female in every case?
No. The rule of the male getting twice the share primarily applies to children and siblings. There are many other scenarios in Islamic inheritance where a female gets an equal share to a male, or even a larger share, depending on her proximity to the deceased and her financial responsibilities.
Why is this specific distribution considered an obligation?
Because Allah explicitly concluded the verses of inheritance by stating: "This is an obligation from Allah." This makes it a binding divine law that protects the rights of all heirs, preventing human biases or cultural traditions from unjustly depriving anyone of their rightful share.