Mother and Siblings’ Share in Husband’s Wealth

18 March, 2018
Q As-salamu `alaykum. My husband and I built our house overseas where we have allowed his mother and siblings to live with their families for some time, as they try and save their money for their own home. My question is: since his name is the only one on the property, in Pakistan, should anything happen to him, God forbid, will his mother and siblings have any right to inherit?

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

As an inheritance ruling, parents inherit but siblings inherit only if the deceased has no father or children.


Responding to your question, Prof. Dr. Monzer Kahf, Professor of Islamic Finance and Economics at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, states:

In the case you explained, your husband’s mother is a definite heir but his siblings inherit only if he has no children and no father.

If you contribute to the property together, it would be better to have it in both names together on any percentage that you like between yourselves.

According to the Shari`ah, parents of a person always inherit whether the deceased is male or female and whether they left children or not.

If the deceased left at least one male child or no children but a father, no siblings inherit at all.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.

About Prof. Dr. Monzer Kahf
Dr. Monzer Kahf is a professor and consultant/trainer on Islamic banking, finance, Zakah, Awqaf, Islamic Inheritance, Islamic estate planning, Islamic family law, and other aspects of Islamic economics, finance, Islamic transactions (Mu'amalat). Dr. Monzer Kahf is currently Professor of Islamic Finance & Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Management, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Turkey