5. Law of inheritance

Abstract

‘The law of inheritance’ explores the Islamic law of inheritance, the fundamental rules of which are prescribed by the Qur’an and the Sunnah, giving a list of legal heirs with the aggregate of each heir’s entitlement meticulously stated. The three essential elements for the application of Islamic law of inheritance are: the deceased (muwarrith), the estate (tarikah), and the heir[s] (wārith[ūn]). Hanafī jurisprudence classifies heirs into three main specific classes: Qur’anic heirs, Agnatic heirs, and Uterine heirs. Shīʻah jurisprudence classifies them generally into heirs by blood relationship (nasab) and heirs by marriage (sabab).