Answering Objections to Islam · Women & Family
Inheritance Shares (Q 4:11)
In short
- 1.A woman's property and income are legally untouchable by her husband; his are obligated to her.
- 2.She also receives a mahr, which is her exclusive property.
- 3.In several inheritance scenarios women receive an equal or larger share than male counterparts.
The claim being examined
A son receives twice a daughter's share, which is presented as economic discrimination.
The Islamic position
The shares sit inside a system of obligations: the man is legally liable for the maintenance of his wife, children and dependent relatives, while a woman's wealth — inheritance, dowry, earnings — is hers alone with no claim on it.
Analysis
The 2:1 ratio is not general; it applies to specific relational positions, and classical scholars document configurations — such as a mother and father inheriting alongside children — where shares are equal. Historically, the comparison is stark: English common law's coverture doctrine denied married women separate property until the Married Women's Property Act 1882, twelve centuries after the Qur'anic provision. The right question is not which number is larger but which system leaves a woman with a legally protected estate.
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 4:7
لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ٱلْوَٰلِدَانِ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌۭ
For men is a share of what parents leave, and for women is a share.
Qur'an 4:4
وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ صَدُقَـٰتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةًۭ
Give women their dowries graciously.
From the Bible
Sources
Al-Qurtubi · Jonathan A.C. Brown
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