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Faraid

The fixed shares of inheritance prescribed in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Draft — pending review. This page has been prepared but has not yet been reviewed by a Canadian estates lawyer or a qualified scholar. Treat it as a starting point for questions, not as advice you should act on.

The fixed shares of inheritance prescribed in the Qur'an and Sunnah.

In Islamic law

Faraid (or 'ilm al-mirath) is the science of fixed inheritance shares. After debts, funeral costs and any valid wasiyyah, the remaining estate passes to defined heirs in defined fractions, drawn principally from Surah an-Nisa 4:11–12 and 4:176.

In Canadian law

Canada has no equivalent of compulsory heirship. A Canadian will can distribute according to faraid because testamentary freedom permits it — not because the law requires it. Absent a will, provincial intestacy rules apply instead and will rarely match faraid.

Across the madhahib

No significant difference between the four Sunni schools is recorded on this point in the sources reviewed. Where a specific case turns on it, ask a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.

Canadian legal detail

Treadstone Law, an Ontario firm with a wills and estates practice, covers the Canadian side of this in more depth:

Important

This entry is general information, not legal or religious advice. Inheritance turns on the exact family circumstances. Confirm Canadian law with a lawyer in your province, and any religious ruling with a qualified scholar.