And You Get Half of What Your Wives Leave — Detailed Inheritance of Spouses
fiqh
Level: intermediate
inheritance
fqh-048
وَلَكُمۡ نِصۡفُ مَا تَرَكَ أَزۡوَٰجُكُمۡ إِن لَّمۡ يَكُن لَّهُنَّ وَلَدٌ
— النساء 12
Verse: "And for you is half of what your wives leave — if they have no child." (4:12)
Husband's inheritance: Half if the wife has no child; quarter if she has a child even from another.
Wife's inheritance: Quarter if the husband has no child; eighth if he has a child.
Multiple wives: If a man dies leaving four wives — the quarter (or eighth) is divided equally among them.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (5/54); Ibn Qudama (6/147); Al-Rahbiyya
Question: When does the husband inherit a quarter instead of half? When does the wife inherit an eighth instead of a quarter?
Answer: Husband inherits quarter: when the wife has a child. Wife inherits eighth: when the husband has a child — children reduce both spouses' shares.