Inheritance and the Koran

[Wildy]

Ok well I decided one day to get myself a copy of the Koran (because I didn't have one) and read it (a translated one).

Now, I only just remembered to ask this, but when I read the section on inheritance (from around surah 4:11) I found that it made very little sense to me.

The section is linked above and is this one:

[4.11] Allah enjoins you concerning your children: The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females; then if they are more than two females, they shall have two-thirds of what the deceased has left, and if there is one, she shall have the half; and as for his parents, each of them shall have the sixth of what he has left if he has a child, but if he has no child and (only) his two parents inherit him, then his mother shall have the third; but if he has brothers, then his mother shall have the sixth after (the payment of) a bequest he may have bequeathed or a debt; your parents and your children, you know not which of them is the nearer to you in usefulness; this is an ordinance from Allah: Surely Allah is Knowing, Wise.
[4.12] And you shall have half of what your wives leave if they have no child, but if they have a child, then you shall have a fourth of what they leave after (payment of) any bequest they may have bequeathed or a debt; and they shall have the fourth of what you leave if you have no child, but if you have a child then they shall have the eighth of what you leave after (payment of) a bequest you may have bequeathed or a debt; and if a man or a woman leaves property to be inherited by neither parents nor offspring, and he (or she) has a brother or a sister, then each of them two shall have the sixth, but if they are more than that, they shall be sharers in the third after (payment of) any bequest that may have been bequeathed or a debt that does not harm (others); this is an ordinance from Allah: and Allah is Knowing, Forbearing.

What exactly does this mean? And what happens to the portions of the estate that the women don't inherit?

 

[mrbaracuda]

Umdat al-Salik has 43 pages on inheritance so it might not be so easy to explain.

But anyway, you could start breaking it all down and form a math term out of it to get a grip on it I guess.

 

[mrbaracuda]

And what happens to the portions of the estate that the women don't inherit?

Do you mean surpluses after a breakdown and distribution among those who are to inherit?

 

[Wildy]

Well they say that women inherit a certain fraction of an estate, so what happens to the rest of it?

 

[mrbaracuda]

Well they say that women inherit a certain fraction of an estate, so what happens to the rest of it?

After a quick glance at the Umdat al-Salik I'd say men, universal heir, Muslim state fund. In that order. Universal heir can include grandfathers etc up to whatever generation is alive apparently.

 

[bokonon]

There are several translations of the Quran available online, and several sites which will provide a free hardcopy as well. One such is http://www.icfresno.org/freequran.html. I ordered one from this site, they sent me a nice $5 paperback, and haven't filled my box with anything further.