Wirasat calculator: Islamic inheritance shares in Pakistan
وراثت کیلکولیٹر — شرعی حصے
Enter the estate and the heirs who are alive at the time of death. Shares follow the Hanafi rules applied in Pakistan, including Section 4 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 for grandchildren whose parent died first.
Heirs alive at the time of death
This covers the usual close heirs. Grandparents, half-brothers and half-sisters, and some rare cases are not included; Shia (Jafari) inheritance rules are different. For a real estate, confirm with a qualified mufti or lawyer before the property is transferred.
How the shares work
- First: funeral costs, then debts (including a wife's unpaid haq mehr), then a will of up to one third for non-heirs.
- Husband: 1/2, or 1/4 if there are children. Wife: 1/4, or 1/8 if there are children (shared by all wives).
- Father: 1/6 when there are children; with only daughters he also takes what is left; with no children he takes what is left.
- Mother: 1/6 with children or two or more brothers/sisters, otherwise 1/3.
- Sons and daughters: a son gets twice a daughter. Daughters alone: one daughter 1/2, two or more 2/3.
- Brothers and sisters inherit only when there is no son and no father.
وراثت کی تقسیم — مختصر
- پہلے کفن دفن کا خرچ، پھر قرض (بیوی کا حق مہر بھی)، پھر ایک تہائی تک وصیت۔
- بیوی کا حصہ: اولاد ہو تو آٹھواں، نہ ہو تو چوتھا۔ شوہر کا حصہ: اولاد ہو تو چوتھا، نہ ہو تو آدھا۔
- بیٹے کا حصہ بیٹی سے دوگنا ہے۔ صرف ایک بیٹی ہو تو آدھا، دو یا زیادہ ہوں تو دو تہائی۔
- والد اور والدہ کو اولاد کی موجودگی میں چھٹا حصہ ملتا ہے۔
- جس بیٹے یا بیٹی کا انتقال پہلے ہو چکا ہو، اس کا حصہ اس کی اولاد کو ملتا ہے (مسلم عائلی قوانین آرڈیننس 1961، دفعہ 4)۔
Questions
How is inheritance divided in Pakistan?
For Muslims, the estate is divided under Islamic law (Hanafi rules for most Sunni families) as applied by the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961. First the funeral costs and debts are paid, then any will (wasiyyat) up to one third, and the rest goes to the legal heirs in fixed shares.
What is the share of a wife?
A wife gets one eighth (12.5%) if the deceased husband left children, and one quarter (25%) if he left none. If there are two to four wives, they share that one eighth or one quarter equally.
What is the share of a daughter?
A single daughter with no brothers gets half, and two or more daughters share two thirds. When there are sons too, a son gets twice the share of a daughter from what is left after the fixed shares.
Do grandchildren inherit if their father died before the grandfather?
Yes. Under Section 4 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, the children of a son or daughter who died before the deceased receive the share their parent would have received.
Can a person leave a will for an heir?
A will (wasiyyat) can be made for up to one third of the estate for people who are not legal heirs. A will in favour of an heir needs the consent of the other heirs.
How do I get a succession certificate?
NADRA issues succession certificates for movable assets (bank accounts, shares) through its Succession Facilitation Units; for property, apply to the civil court or the revenue office. The NADRA fee is listed on our NADRA fee page.
