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Sura 4
Aya 12
12
۞ وَلَكُم نِصفُ ما تَرَكَ أَزواجُكُم إِن لَم يَكُن لَهُنَّ وَلَدٌ ۚ فَإِن كانَ لَهُنَّ وَلَدٌ فَلَكُمُ الرُّبُعُ مِمّا تَرَكنَ ۚ مِن بَعدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يوصينَ بِها أَو دَينٍ ۚ وَلَهُنَّ الرُّبُعُ مِمّا تَرَكتُم إِن لَم يَكُن لَكُم وَلَدٌ ۚ فَإِن كانَ لَكُم وَلَدٌ فَلَهُنَّ الثُّمُنُ مِمّا تَرَكتُم ۚ مِن بَعدِ وَصِيَّةٍ توصونَ بِها أَو دَينٍ ۗ وَإِن كانَ رَجُلٌ يورَثُ كَلالَةً أَوِ امرَأَةٌ وَلَهُ أَخٌ أَو أُختٌ فَلِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُمَا السُّدُسُ ۚ فَإِن كانوا أَكثَرَ مِن ذٰلِكَ فَهُم شُرَكاءُ فِي الثُّلُثِ ۚ مِن بَعدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يوصىٰ بِها أَو دَينٍ غَيرَ مُضارٍّ ۚ وَصِيَّةً مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ حَليمٌ

Muhammad Asad

And you shall inherit one-half of what your wives leave behind, provided they have left no child; but if they have left a child, then you shall have one-quarter of what they leave behind, after [the deduction of] any bequest they may have made, or any debt [they may have incurred]. And your widows1 shall have one-quarter of what you leave behind, provided you have left no child; but if you have left a child, then they shall have one-eighth of what you leave behind, after [the deduction of] any bequest you may have made, or any debt [you may have incurred]. And if a man or a woman has no heir in the direct line, but has a brother or a sister, then each of these two shall inherit one-sixth; but if there are more than two,2 then they shall share in one-third [of the inheritance], after [the deduction of] any bequest that may have been made, or any debt [that may have been incurred], neither of which having been intended to harm [the heirs].3 [This is] an injunction from God: and God is all-knowing, forbearing.
  • Lit., "they".
  • Lit., "more than that". According to most of the classical commentators, this passage refers to half-brothers and half-sisters. The inheritance of full brothers and sisters is dealt with at the end of this surah (verse 176).
  • This refers to bequests and fictitious debts meant to deprive the heirs of their legal shares. According to several authentic Traditions, the Prophet forbade, in cases where there are legal heirs, the making of bequests to other persons in excess of one-third of one's estate (Bukhari and Muslim). If, however, there are no near of kin legally entitled to a share of the inheritance, the testator is free to bequeath his fortune in any way he desires.