Before diving into ash-Shinqiti-style mining of the law, first get to know “the mine” itself: An-Nisa 11, 12, and 176 — exactly what each verse establishes, and which parts of the system come from somewhere other than the verses.
An-Nisa 11 — children and parents
“Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females. But if there are [only] daughters, two or more, for them is two thirds of one’s estate. And if there is only one, for her is half. And for one’s parents, to each one of them is a sixth of his estate if he left children. But if he had no children and the parents [alone] inherit from him, then for his mother is a third. And if he had brothers [or sisters], for his mother is a sixth, after any bequest he [may have] made or debt…” (An-Nisa 11)
What it establishes: a 2:1 ratio of son to daughter · 2/3 for daughters (plural) · 1/2 for a single daughter · 1/6 for each parent alongside children · 1/3 for the mother with no children · the mother’s drop to 1/6 on account of the siblings · and the order bequest and debt before inheritance.
An-Nisa 12 — spouses and maternal half-siblings
What it establishes: the husband 1/2 → 1/4 (if there are children) · the wife 1/4 → 1/8 · and — in a case of kalalah — maternal half-brothers/sisters: one person gets 1/6, more than one share 1/3 jointly, with no distinction between male and female. The verse also repeats the condition “after any bequest and debt” four times — an emphasis that exegetes read as a stern warning against a bequest that wrongs the heirs.
An-Nisa 176 — kalalah for full and paternal half-siblings
“They request from you a [legal] ruling. Say, ‘Allah gives you a ruling concerning one having neither descendants nor ascendants [as heirs]. If a man dies, having no child but [only] a sister, she will have half of what he left…” (An-Nisa 176)
What it establishes: a sister (full or paternal half) gets 1/2; two sisters get 2/3; a brother makes the division 2:1; and a lone brother inherits the entire estate. It is the closing verse of the surah — revealed later, answering a question that kept being asked about kalalah.
Map: where each component of the system comes from
flowchart TB
classDef ayat fill:#134e4a,stroke:#14b8a6,color:#ccfbf1
classDef sunnah fill:#1e3a8a,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#dbeafe
classDef ijtihad fill:#713f12,stroke:#ca8a04,color:#fef9c3
A11["AN-NISA 11:<br/>children 2:1 · 2/3 · 1/2 ·<br/>parents 1/6 · mother 1/3→1/6 ·<br/>bequest & debt first"]:::ayat
A12["AN-NISA 12:<br/>husband 1/2→1/4 · wife 1/4→1/8 ·<br/>maternal siblings 1/6 & 1/3 equal share"]:::ayat
A176["AN-NISA 176 (kalalah):<br/>sister 1/2 · 2/3 ·<br/>brother 2:1 / all of it"]:::ayat
S["FROM THE SUNNAH:<br/>grandmother 1/6 · granddaughter 1/6 completing ·<br/>'the remainder to the nearest male' ('ashabah) ·<br/>bar on killing & difference of religion"]:::sunnah
IJ["FROM IJTIHAD/COMPANION CONSENSUS:<br/>'awl · radd vs the public treasury ·<br/>grandfather alongside siblings ·<br/>the 'Umariyyatayn · al-Mushtarakah"]:::ijtihad
A11 & A12 & A176 --> SYS["The complete faraidh system"]
S --> SYS
IJ --> SYS
These three layers are the framework for the whole bundle: the layer of the verses (chapter 03–04), assembling the system (chapter 05–06), and the layer of ijtihad, honestly mapped as territory of scholarly dispute (chapter 07).
Two closing lines of the verse that are often overlooked
Verse 11 closes: ”…You do not know which of them are nearest to you in benefit. [These shares are] an obligation [imposed] by Allah. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.” These two statements — that people cannot know who among them will ultimately be of most benefit, and that the true divider is the All-Knowing — are the foundation of the chapter on wisdom (chapter 11), and the reason these figures are not left to human preference.
Sources: QS. An-Nisa 11, 12, 176 (text & translation: quran.com/4/11, quran.com/4/176); Adhwa’ al-Bayan on these verses (Shamela 20766). Full list in 15-references.