Will an estranged daughter inherit?
Question
will the daughter be entitled to a share in the inheritance? as salaam u alaikum Mr abdullah passed away at age of 70. He was married at 30 years of age and had a daughter. When the daughter was two months of age, her mother(his wife) left him(talaq) and took away the daughter with her . Since then ... till his death, his daughter neither met him nor took any care of him nor cared to have any relation with him . Now he has passed away leaving two sisters, one nephew(brothers son) and this estranged daughter who was taken away when she was two months old. My question is ..... 1) will this daughter have any share in his property(as she didn have anything to do with him in his lifetime) ??? 2)how should his property now be divided?? kindly help me out . jazakallah khair
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
According to the Shari’ah Laws of Inheritance and Succession, distribution of an estate will only commence after funeral expenses, debts (including legal costs) and bequests (if any) made to non-heirs - which will not exceed one-third (1/3) of the estate after debts and funeral expenses have been settled. Thereafter, all assets form part of the net estate and will have to be distributed according to the Islamic Law of Succession and Inheritance.
The daughter in reference will be entitled to half of her father’s estate despite not having any contact with each other. The share of one daughter is specifically mentioned in the Quran:[1]
Translation: “If she (the daughter) is one, she receives half (the estate)” (4:11)
We have been advised that the deceased is survived by:
Daughter
Two (2) sisters
Nephew (brother’s son)
Accordingly, the estate will be divided into 4 shares as follows: [2]
Relative
Share
Percentage
Daughter
2
50%
1st Full Sister
1
25%
2nd Full Sister
1
25%
Nephew (Brothers Son)
0
0%
Total
4
100%
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hammad bin Ismail Jogiat
Student Darul Iftaa
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
وَإِنْ كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ ۚ (سورة النساء: آية 11)
[1] يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ ۖ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنْثَيَيْنِ ۚ فَإِنْ كُنَّ نِسَاءً فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ ۖ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ ۚ وَلِأَبَوَيْهِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا
السُّدُسُ مِمَّا تَرَكَ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ ۚ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَوَرِثَهُ أَبَوَاهُ فَلِأُمِّهِ الثُّلُثُ ۚ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَهُ إِخْوَةٌ فَلِأُمِّهِ السُّدُسُ ۚ مِنْ بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِي بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ ۗ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ لَا تَدْرُونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ لَكُمْ نَفْعًا ۚ فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا (سورة النّساء : آية 11)
[2]الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) - ابن عابدين، محمد أمين بن عمر بن عبد العزيز عابدين الدمشقي الحنفي (المتوفى: 1252هـ) - دار الفكر-بيروت (776/6)
فقال (ومع غيره الأخوات مع البنات) أو بنات الابن لقول الفرضيين "اجعلوا الأخوات مع البنات عصبة"
السراجي في الميراث الشيخ سراج محمّد بن عبد الرشيد السجاوندي الحنفي – مكتبة البشرى (ص25)
ولهن الباقي مع البنات أو بنات الابن لقوله عليه السلام: "اجعلو الأخوات مع البنات عصبة"
- Answered by
- Hammad bin Ismail Jogiat
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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