Short answer
Faraid is calculated in a sequence.
- 1. Confirm the net estate. Start after funeral expenses, enforceable debts, and valid bequests are handled.
- 2. Identify eligible heirs. List relatives alive at death, then note who is blocked by closer heirs.
- 3. Assign fixed shares. Quranic shares are applied first to spouses, parents, daughters, and certain siblings.
- 4. Give residue to residuary heirs. Sons, fathers, brothers, and some agnatic relatives may receive what remains.
- 5. Check adjustment cases. If shares exceed the estate or residue remains without a residuary heir, awl or radd may apply and should be reviewed.
Quranic fixed shares
The fixed shares come first.
In faraid, fixed-share heirs are often called dhawul furud. Their portions are assigned before the residue is distributed. The six recurring fractions are ½, ¼, ⅛, ⅔, ⅓, and ⅙.
Husband
½ or ¼
Receives ½ when there are no children or qualifying descendants; ¼ when there are children or qualifying descendants.
Wife or wives
¼ or ⅛
The wife pool is ¼ when there are no children or qualifying descendants; ⅛ when there are. Multiple wives share that pool equally.
Daughter or daughters
½ or ⅔, or residue
One daughter receives ½ when there is no son. Two or more daughters share ⅔ when there is no son. With sons, daughters share the residue at half of each son’s unit.
Father
⅙, residue, or both
With children, the father usually receives ⅙; with daughters and no sons he may also receive residue. Without descendants, he is generally a residuary heir.
Mother
⅓ or ⅙
Receives ⅓ when there are no descendants and fewer than two siblings. Receives ⅙ when there are descendants or two or more siblings. In the spouse-plus-both-parents cases, her ⅓ is commonly applied to the residue after the spouse share.
Sisters and some siblings
½, ⅔, ⅙, or ⅓ in specific cases
Sibling rules depend heavily on whether the deceased left a father, children, brothers, or other siblings. Treat sibling cases as review-worthy unless the family structure is very simple.
Residuary heirs
What happens to the remainder?
After fixed shares are assigned, the remaining estate goes to asabah, or residuary heirs. The most common residuary pattern is children: sons and daughters share the residue together, with each son receiving two units and each daughter receiving one unit.
Sons with daughters
Fixed shares are paid first. The remaining estate is divided into units: each son gets two units and each daughter gets one unit.
Father
A father may receive a fixed ⅙, the residue, or both, depending on whether the deceased left sons, daughters, or no descendants.
Siblings and agnates
Brothers, sisters, and more distant male-line relatives can become residuary heirs only when closer heirs do not block them.
Worked examples
Three faraid share examples.
Example 1: wife + 2 sons + 1 daughter
Assume the net estate is $400,000 and there are no surviving parents. The wife receives ⅛ because the deceased left children: $50,000. The remaining ⅞ is $350,000. The two sons and one daughter share that residue in five units: each son has two units and the daughter has one unit.
- Wife: ⅛ = $50,000
- Each son: 7/20 = $140,000
- Daughter: 7/40 = $70,000
- Total: $400,000 distributed
Example 2: husband + mother + father, no children
In the classic spouse-plus-both-parents case, assume a $240,000 net estate and no children or siblings. The husband receives ½: $120,000. The mother receives ⅓ of the remainder after the spouse share, which is $40,000. The father receives the remaining $80,000.
- Husband: ½ = $120,000
- Mother: ⅙ = $40,000
- Father: ⅓ = $80,000
Example 3: daughter + mother + father
Assume a $300,000 net estate, one daughter, both parents, no spouse, and no sons. The daughter receives ½. The mother receives ⅙ because there is a child. The father receives ⅙ plus the residue, so his total is ⅓.
- Daughter: ½ = $150,000
- Mother: ⅙ = $50,000
- Father: ⅓ = $100,000
Want an estimate?
Use the free calculator for common scenarios, then review edge cases before relying on the result.
Common mistakes
Where faraid calculations often go wrong.
- Calculating shares before subtracting funeral expenses, enforceable debts, and valid bequests.
- Giving every child an equal share when sons and daughters are residuary heirs together; standard Sunni faraid gives each son two units and each daughter one unit.
- Forgetting that multiple wives share one wife pool rather than each receiving a full wife share.
- Treating blocked relatives as heirs even when a closer heir, such as a father or son, excludes them.
- Ignoring special adjustment cases such as awl, radd, kalalah sibling cases, and the spouse-plus-both-parents cases.
- Using gross asset values without confirming title, marital property, taxes, business interests, or local probate requirements.
Professional review
When to get a qualified review.
A simple article or Islamic inheritance calculator cannot replace review by qualified scholars and relevant legal, tax, or probate professionals. Get a review before distribution if any of these apply:
- There are grandchildren, adopted children, step-relatives, half-siblings, or disputed paternity/lineage questions.
- A will, gift, trust, joint account, business interest, retirement account, or beneficiary designation may change what is actually in the estate.
- Fixed shares appear to add up to more than 100%, or there is leftover residue with no obvious residuary heir.
- Family members disagree about debts, promises, prior gifts, caregiving contributions, or who should be included.
- The estate must comply with court, tax, probate, or country-specific inheritance law in addition to Islamic inheritance rules.
Paid next steps
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Sources and scope notes
The primary scriptural passages for the fixed shares include Qur’an 4:11, 4:12, and 4:176, with the general sequence of fixed shares and residue also reflected in the hadith instruction to give prescribed shares first and the remainder to the nearest eligible male relative. This guide summarizes standard Sunni educational rules and intentionally flags sibling, awl, radd, and legal-document issues for review.