ISLAMIC INHERITANCE (FARAID) CALCULATOR

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Islamic Inheritance (Faraid) Calculator

Estimate how an estate splits among heirs under Sunni Islamic inheritance rules — spouse, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings.

Read before using: This tool applies standard Sunni Faraid rules (Hanafi position on the grandfather-and-siblings question specifically, since schools differ here) for the heir types listed below. It does not account for: distant kindred (dhawul arham), disputed or unknown parentage, missing/presumed-deceased heirs, multiple/complex madhab-specific rulings beyond what's noted, or your country's civil probate law. Debts and funeral costs should be settled before this distribution, and any bequest (wasiyyah) is capped at 1/3 of the estate after debts — this tool applies that cap automatically. Treat this as a starting estimate, not a final ruling — confirm with a qualified scholar or Islamic inheritance authority before distributing an actual estate.

Estate value

Enter what you know — leave anything at 0 if it doesn't apply.

Deductions before distribution

Deceased

Children

Grandchildren (through a son)

Only counted if there are no living sons or daughters — a surviving child always takes priority. (Grandchildren through a daughter are not Faraid heirs in classical fiqh.)

Parents & grandparents

Grandparents below only count if the corresponding parent has passed away.

Siblings

Any of these only count if the deceased has no living children/grandchildren and no living father or paternal grandfather.

This calculation is provided for educational and planning purposes only and does not constitute a religious ruling (fatwa) or legal advice. Actual estate distribution should be verified with a qualified Islamic scholar, a Sharia-compliant inheritance service, or the relevant court in your jurisdiction — especially where debts, wasiyyah validity, disputed heirs, or missing family members are involved.

How this calculator works

Islamic inheritance (Faraid) follows a structured system laid out primarily in the Quran, supplemented by the Sunnah and centuries of juristic scholarship. Heirs fall into two broad categories: those with a fixed Quranic share (like a spouse, parents, or a lone daughter) and residuary heirs (asaba) who inherit whatever remains after fixed shares are distributed — most often sons, or a father when no sons survive. This tool calculates both, following the standard exclusion rules that determine who inherits at all: for example, a living father excludes a paternal grandfather, and any surviving child excludes siblings from inheriting entirely.

Two classical adjustment mechanisms are also built in. 'Awl applies when fixed shares add up to more than the whole estate, proportionally reducing each share to fit within 100%. Radd applies in the opposite case — when fixed shares leave a portion of the estate with no residuary heir to absorb it, that leftover is returned proportionally to the eligible fixed-share heirs (excluding the spouse, per the majority scholarly position). Before any of this, the tool also deducts debts and funeral expenses, and caps any bequest (wasiyyah) at one-third of the estate, exactly as classical rulings require.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the tool mention the Hanafi position specifically?
The question of how a paternal grandfather's share interacts with surviving siblings is one of the most well-known points of disagreement among the four Sunni schools of law. This tool follows the simpler, widely-used Hanafi position (the grandfather excludes siblings, similar to a father) rather than the more intricate positions of the other schools, and says so explicitly rather than presenting one view as the only view.

Does this apply to Shia inheritance law?
No. Shia (Ja'fari) inheritance law follows a meaningfully different structure in several respects. This calculator is built specifically around Sunni Faraid principles.

What heirs does this tool not cover?
Distant kindred (dhawul arham) such as maternal uncles or cousins, grandchildren through a daughter, disputed or unknown parentage, and missing or presumed-deceased heirs are all outside this tool's scope — these require case-specific scholarly guidance.

Can I use this number as the final, legal distribution?
No — please don't. This is an educational estimate meant to help you understand how shares are calculated, not a fatwa or a substitute for a qualified scholar, an Islamic inheritance authority, or your country's probate process, especially where debts, the validity of a bequest, or family disputes are involved.

Why is debt paid before anyone inherits?
In Islamic law, the deceased's outstanding debts and funeral expenses are settled from the estate before any distribution to heirs — the estate available for inheritance is what remains after those obligations are met, which is exactly the order this tool follows.

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