'awl is proportional reduction where the fixed shares exceed the whole estate.
The Canadian position
Canadian abatement works in a fixed order instead — residue first, then general, then specific gifts.
Canadian law gives effect to whatever a valid will says, so an Islamic concept takes effect here through the drafting rather than automatically.
The Islamic position
The denominator is increased so every share abates by the same proportion.
Confirm the position for your own family and school with a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
Yes — every fixed-share heir is cut back by the same proportion, none is dropped. The device is called ‘awl: the denominator is raised until it equals the shares actually due, so a half becomes three-sevenths, an eighth becomes a ninth. The Kuwaiti Mawsu’a states the doctrine and then says in terms that it is the view of the four imams. The rule goes back to ‘Umar, who put the first such estate to the Companions and divided it bi’l-hisas — pro rata — with no one dissenting at the time.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-09-01. Full positions, evidence and sources — When the fixed shares over-subscribe the estate, is everyone reduced?.
Making an Islamic will in Canada — province by province, and what makes one valid where you live →
This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position. Anything under “further reading” is related material, not a source for what is stated here.
- Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 85: Laws of Inheritance (Faraid) — Sunnah.com
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Inheritance — Sunnah.com
- Specific gifts bequests ontario will — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law