Inheritance as Detailed in The Quran (4: 14-12) - Dr Zakir Naik
Dr. Zakir Naik explains the Quranic verses (Surah Nisa 4:11-12) detailing Islamic inheritance law. He outlines the specific fractional shares allocated to children, parents, spouses, and siblings, emphasizing that debts and legacies must be settled before any distribution occurs.
Summary
In this brief lecture, Dr. Zakir Naik walks through the inheritance rules outlined in Surah Nisa, Chapter 4, verses 11 and 12 of the Quran.
Regarding children's inheritance, he explains that male heirs receive a share double that of female heirs. If only female children exist and there are two or more, they collectively share two-thirds of the estate. If there is only one daughter, she receives one-half.
For parental inheritance, each parent receives one-sixth of the estate if the deceased has children. If there are no children, the mother's share increases to one-third. However, if there are brothers and sisters present, the mother's share is reduced back to one-sixth.
Concerning spousal inheritance, a husband receives half of his wife's estate if she had no children, and one-quarter if she did have children. Conversely, a wife receives one-quarter of her husband's estate if there are no children, and one-eighth if there are children. If the deceased had multiple wives, they collectively share in the applicable fraction (one-quarter or one-eighth).
Finally, in cases where the deceased has neither ascendants nor descendants, brothers and sisters share in the estate. Dr. Naik consistently emphasizes that in all cases, outstanding debts of the deceased and any designated legacies must be fully settled before any inheritance shares are distributed among heirs.
Key Insights
- Dr. Zakir Naik states that in Islamic inheritance law, a male child receives a share exactly twice that of a female child, as specified in Surah Nisa 4:11.
- Dr. Zakir Naik explains that if the deceased leaves only female children (two or more), they collectively inherit two-thirds of the estate, while a single female child alone receives one-half.
- Dr. Zakir Naik clarifies that debts owed by the deceased and any designated legacies must be paid out first before any inheritance shares are distributed to heirs — a rule he reiterates twice across both verses.
- Dr. Zakir Naik notes that a husband inherits half of his deceased wife's estate when she has no children, but only one-quarter if she does have children, and that multiple wives collectively share the applicable fraction.
- Dr. Zakir Naik states that if a deceased person has neither ascendants nor descendants, their brothers and sisters step in as heirs and share in the estate, as detailed in verse 12 of Surah Nisa.
Topics
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to Access