Sunni Law of Inheritance — Three Classes of Heirs — KSLU Family Law 2 Notes

Sunni Law of Inheritance — Three Classes of Heirs

The Quran fixes inheritance shares so precisely that Islamic jurisprudence built an entire mathematical science around them — ilm-ul-faraid. Under Sunni law, heirs fall into three classes taken in order of priority.

flowchart TD
    ROOT["Sunni Inheritance<br/>(Three Classes)"]:::root
    ROOT --> C1["Class 1: Quranic Heirs<br/>(Zawil-Faraid)<br/>Fixed shares from Quran"]:::class1
    ROOT --> C2["Class 2: Residuaries<br/>(Asabat)<br/>Take what's left"]:::class2
    ROOT --> C3["Class 3: Distant Kindred<br/>(Zawil-Arham)<br/>Only if no Class 1 or 2"]:::class3
    C1 --> Q1["Husband: 1/2 or 1/4"]:::share
    C1 --> Q2["Wife(ves): 1/4 or 1/8"]:::share
    C1 --> Q3["Daughter(s): 1/2 or 2/3"]:::share
    C1 --> Q4["Father: 1/6 (if son)"]:::share
    C1 --> Q5["Mother: 1/3 or 1/6"]:::share
    C2 --> A1["Son (primary residuary)<br/>excludes son's son"]:::asaba
    C2 --> A2["Father (if no son/SS)"]:::asaba
    C2 --> A3["Brother, uncle, etc."]:::asaba

    classDef root fill:#FFF8DC,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px,color:#000;
    classDef class1 fill:#D4EDDA,stroke:#155724,color:#000;
    classDef class2 fill:#FFF3CD,stroke:#856404,color:#000;
    classDef class3 fill:#F8D7DA,stroke:#721C24,color:#000;
    classDef share fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    classDef asaba fill:#FFF3CD,stroke:#856404,color:#000;
    linkStyle default stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px;

Class 1 — Quranic Sharers (Zawil-Faraid): twelve heirs take a fixed fraction set by the Quran (husband 1/2 or 1/4; wife 1/4 or 1/8; one daughter 1/2, two-or-more 2/3; father 1/6; mother 1/3 or 1/6, and so on — the lower figure applying where a child exists). Class 2 — Residuaries (Asabat): male-line relatives (and certain females alongside a corresponding male) take whatever residue remains after the sharers, in the 2:1 male-to-female ratio — son excludes son’s son; father excludes grandfather; full brother excludes consanguine brother. Class 3 — Distant Kindred (Zawil-Arham): other blood relatives (daughter’s children, maternal uncles) inherit only when there is no sharer or residuary.