﴾ Glossary ﴿
Glossary of Inheritance Terms
The science of inheritance is full of Arabic terms that feel unfamiliar at first. This page gathers the core vocabulary with short definitions, so you can read the chapters without stumbling.
Core concepts
- Faraidh الفرائض
- The science of dividing an estate by the shares fixed in the Sharia. Plural of faridah (a fixed portion).
- Tirkah التركة
- Everything the deceased leaves behind. Inheritance is divided after property-linked rights, burial costs, debts, and bequests (max 1/3) are settled.
- Waris الوارث
- A person entitled to inherit through lineage (nasab), marriage, or wala’ (freeing a slave).
- Muwarrits المورّث
- The bequeather — the deceased whose estate is being divided.
- Furudh الفروض
- The fixed shares set by the Qur’an: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 2/3, 1/3, and 1/6.
- Hajb الحجب
- The blocking of an heir from part or all of their share by another, closer heir.
- Ta’shib التعصيب
- Inheriting as ‘asabah — taking whatever residue remains after the fixed-share heirs are paid.
Shares & numbers
- Asal masalah أصل المسألة
- The common denominator for all shares — the LCM of the fixed-share denominators. Every share is counted against it.
- Saham السهم
- An heir’s portion expressed in units of the base (the numerator over the common denominator).
- 'Aul العول
- When the shares add up to more than the base, so the denominator is “raised” and every share shrinks proportionally.
- Radd الردّ
- The opposite of ‘awl: shares fall short of the base and there is no ‘asabah, so the surplus returns to the fixed-share heirs (excluding spouses per the majority).
- Tashih التصحيح
- Adjusting the base so each group’s share divides evenly among its members, usually by multiplying; the simplification uses the GCD.
- Munasakhat المناسخات
- Successive deaths before division: the first problem is solved, then the deceased heir’s share is recomputed as a second problem.
Heirs
- Dzawil furudh ذوو الفروض
- Heirs who take a fixed, predetermined share — e.g. spouses, the mother, and daughters in certain cases.
- 'Ashabah العصبة
- Heirs who take the residue after the fixed shares, or the whole estate if there are none. Typically the nearest male relatives.
- Dzawil arham ذوو الأرحام
- Relatives who are neither fixed-share heirs nor ‘asabah — e.g. a daughter’s children or a maternal uncle. They inherit when the two main groups are absent.
- Kalalah الكلالة
- A deceased who leaves neither father nor child (no male ascendants or descendants). This condition activates sibling inheritance.
- Mahjub المحجوب
- An heir blocked from their share by another — e.g. a sibling blocked by the presence of the father.
- Mahrum المحروم
- Someone barred from inheriting by an impediment (killing, difference of religion, or slavery), not by a nearer heir.
Special cases
- Khuntsa الخنثى
- A person of ambiguous sex (intersex). If undeterminable (musykil), their share is computed with the two-scenario method.
- Mafqud المفقود
- A missing person whose life or death is unknown. Their share is withheld until the status is settled.
- Hamlun (janin) الحمل
- An unborn child who may inherit. Its share is withheld until birth since its number and sex are not yet certain.
- 'Umariyyatain العمريّتان
- Two famous problems (also gharrawayn): spouse + mother + father, where the mother takes 1/3 of the remainder, not 1/3 of the whole.
- Musytarakah المشتركة
- The case of maternal siblings sharing with full siblings (himariyyah): whether the full siblings join the 1/3 or are excluded — a disputed point.
- Akdariyyah الأكدرية
- A famous problem of husband, mother, grandfather, and one full sister — the only case where the grandfather and sister are pooled then divided.
Want to see these terms in action? Open the Evidence Map or go straight to Practice.