What share does a daughter receive when there is no son?

When there is one daughter and no son, the daughter receives one-half (1/2) of the net estate as a fixed share. When there are two or more daughters and no son, the daughters collectively receive two-thirds (2/3) of the net estate, shared equally between them. This is distinct from the situation when a son is present — in that case, daughters are residuary heirs and the son receives double the share of each daughter.

What happens to the remainder when daughters receive their fixed share?

After daughters receive their fixed share (1/2 for one daughter, or 2/3 for two or more), the remainder depends on who else is alive. If a father is alive, he may take the residue as a residuary heir. If only a mother is present and no residuary heir exists, radd may apply — returning the surplus to the fixed-share heirs in proportion to their shares. The specific outcome depends on the complete heir list.

Does a granddaughter inherit if there are daughters but no son?

When daughters receive their maximum fixed share of 2/3 collectively, a granddaughter (son's daughter) is blocked from inheriting unless she is in a different generational line. Granddaughters through a son are generally blocked when daughters collectively receive 2/3. However, if the daughters take only 1/2 (one daughter), a granddaughter may receive a supplementary share. This is a complex area — use the calculator or consult a scholar for specific family structures.

Inheritance in Islam: Only Daughters, No Sons

Q: Do daughters inherit equally with each other?

Yes. When two or more daughters inherit together without a son, the 2/3 share is divided equally among them regardless of age, birth order, or which wife they were born to in a polygynous family. Each daughter receives an equal fraction of the 2/3 collective share.

One of the most frequently asked Faraid questions is what happens when the deceased leaves daughters but no son. The answer is not simply “daughters get everything” — the calculation depends entirely on who else survives the deceased. Daughters shift from residuary heirs (when a son is present) to fixed-share heirs (when no son exists), and the fixed shares they receive vary by how many daughters there are and what other heirs are present.

This guide covers every daughters-only scenario with worked examples and tables. For the broader context of daughter inheritance including when a son is present, see our guide on daughter inheritance in Islam. To calculate your specific estate, use the FaraidHub Faraid calculator.

How Daughters Inherit Without a Son

When a son is present, daughters are residuary (Asabah) heirs who share the residue with the son at a 2:1 ratio (son gets double). When no son exists, daughters become fixed-share heirs with specific Quranic fractions. This shift is fundamental: the same daughters, in different family structures, inherit through completely different mechanisms.

Situation	Daughters’ share	Mechanism
Son and daughters	Residue — each daughter gets half a son’s share	Residuary (Asabah)
One daughter, no son	1/2 of the net estate	Fixed share (Quranic)
Two or more daughters, no son	2/3 collectively, shared equally	Fixed share (Quranic)

فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاءً فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ ۖ وَإِن كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ

"But if there are only daughters, two or more, for them is two-thirds of what he left. And if there is only one, for her is half." — Surah An-Nisa 4:11

Scenario 1: One Daughter, No Son — Who Takes the Rest?

When exactly one daughter survives and no son exists, the daughter’s fixed share is 1/2. The remaining 1/2 does not vanish — it goes to whoever is next in line. The specific outcome depends on which other heirs are alive.

One daughter + these heirs	Daughter	Other heirs	Remaining half
Father alive	1/2	Father: 1/6 fixed + residue	Father takes residue
Mother alive, father alive	1/2	Father: 1/6 + residue; Mother: 1/6	Father takes rest
Mother only (father deceased)	1/2	Mother: 1/6	Radd applies to daughter + mother
Husband, no parents	1/2	Husband: 1/4	Radd to daughter (+ Maliki: husband too)
Full brother (no parents)	1/2	Full brother: residue	Brother takes the remaining 1/2

The presence of the father is critical. If the father is alive, he is a residuary heir and takes whatever remains after the daughter’s 1/2 and any other fixed shares. If the father is deceased and no male residuary heir exists, radd applies and the surplus returns to the fixed-share heirs proportionally.

Scenario 2: Two or More Daughters, No Son

When two or more daughters survive and no son exists, the daughters collectively receive 2/3. This is their combined share — not 2/3 each. Two daughters each receive 1/3. Three daughters each receive 2/9. Four daughters each receive 1/6. The fractions shrink as more daughters share the same fixed pool.

Number of daughters	Collective share	Each daughter receives
2 daughters	2/3	1/3 each
3 daughters	2/3	2/9 each
4 daughters	2/3	1/6 each
5 daughters	2/3	2/15 each

When Radd Applies in Daughters-Only Cases

Radd is the mechanism that returns any surplus to fixed-share heirs when no residuary heir exists. In daughters-only cases, this is especially relevant when the only surviving heirs are daughters, a mother, and perhaps a spouse — with no father, no son, no brother, and no other male agnate.

Worked example: Deceased man leaves two daughters, a wife, and a mother. Father is deceased. Net estate: R900,000.

Heir	Fixed share	Fraction	Amount (R)
Wife	1/8 (children present)	3/24	112,500
Two daughters	2/3 collectively	16/24	600,000
Mother	1/6 (children present)	4/24	150,000
Fixed shares total		23/24	862,500
Surplus remaining		1/24	37,500

The surplus of R37,500 has no Asabah heir to take it. Radd applies. Under the Hanafi, Shafi’i, and Hanbali madhabs, the wife is excluded from Radd. The daughters (16 parts) and mother (4 parts) share the surplus in a 4:1 ratio.

Heir	Fixed share (R)	Radd received (R)	Total (R)
Wife	112,500	0 (excluded)	112,500
Two daughters	600,000	+30,000 (4/5 of surplus)	630,000
Mother	150,000	+7,500 (1/5 of surplus)	157,500
Total			900,000

For a deeper explanation of how radd works and where the madhabs differ, see our guide on Radd in Islamic inheritance.

Who Can Block Daughters from Inheriting?

Daughters cannot be blocked from their Faraid shares by any heir. No other heir can prevent a daughter from receiving her prescribed portion. However, daughters can be partially affected: when a son is present, daughters shift from fixed-share heirs to residuary heirs — they still inherit, but through a different mechanism. The 2:1 son-daughter ratio applies to the residue, not to a fixed share.

Daughters also do not block any other heir. A daughter does not block siblings, parents, or the spouse from their respective shares. The daughter’s fixed share is taken first (alongside spouse and parent fixed shares), and then the residue issue is resolved by looking for an Asabah heir.

The Critical Role of Parents in Daughters-Only Estates

The presence or absence of parents — especially the father — has an outsized effect on daughters-only estates. If the father is alive, he receives 1/6 as a fixed share (because children are present) and then takes the residue as an Asabah heir. This means the daughters receive their 1/2 or 2/3, the parents receive their 1/6 shares, and the father sweeps the remainder — leaving nothing for radd. If the father is deceased, the estate structure changes significantly. See our guide on father’s share in Islamic inheritance for a full treatment.

What If Brothers Survive?

A full brother (or paternal half-brother) can act as a residuary heir in daughters-only cases, taking the surplus after the daughters’ fixed share. This is one area where families are sometimes surprised: a brother of the deceased may inherit a portion of the estate even when daughters are present. For example, if the deceased left one daughter (1/2) and a full brother (no parents alive), the brother takes the remaining 1/2 as a residuary heir. Daughters do not block brothers — only children block siblings, and daughters in fixed-share mode are not the same legal position as children in the residuary sense.

This is a nuanced area with significant madhab variation. Consult a qualified scholar for estates with complex sibling situations. For a detailed explanation of sibling inheritance, see our guide on sibling inheritance in Islamic law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can daughters inherit if there is no son at all?

Yes — absolutely. The absence of a son does not reduce daughters’ inheritance rights; it changes the mechanism. Without a son, daughters receive fixed Quranic shares (1/2 for one daughter, 2/3 collectively for two or more). These are among the clearest and most firmly established shares in the Quran.

Do daughters inherit equally with each other?

Yes. All daughters share the collective 2/3 equally between them, regardless of age, birth order, which wife they were born to (in polygynous families), or any other distinction. There is no concept of a “first daughter” or “eldest daughter” receiving more.

Can daughters receive more than two-thirds if there are no male heirs?

Not through Faraid alone. The fixed share for daughters (two-thirds collectively) is the maximum Quranic entitlement. However, if no residuary heir exists to absorb the remaining one-third, Radd applies — under the Maliki, Shafiʻi, and Hanbali schools the surplus returns to the daughters proportionally, so they may ultimately receive the full estate. Under the Hanafi school, the surplus goes to the Public Treasury (Bayt al-Mal) rather than returning to daughters.

Who receives the rest of the estate after daughters take their share? of the estate after daughters take their share?

It depends entirely on which other heirs are alive. If the father is alive, he takes the residue. If a full brother is alive (and no father or grandfather), he takes the residue. If no Asabah heir exists, radd applies and the surplus returns to the daughters and other fixed-share heirs proportionally. Use the FaraidHub calculator with your complete heir list to see the exact result.

Should daughters-only estates be calculated manually?

Manual calculation is possible but error-prone — especially when radd applies and when parents are also present. The FaraidHub calculator handles all combinations automatically, including awl and radd, and generates a downloadable PDF report with a full trace of every step. Use the manual examples in this article to understand the logic, then verify with the calculator.

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Written By

FaraidHub Editorial Team

Our editorial team comprises Islamic finance specialists and estate planning professionals dedicated to making Faraid knowledge accessible to Muslims worldwide.

What happens to inheritance in Islam if there are only daughters and no sons?

When daughters inherit without any son, they receive fixed Quranic shares rather than becoming residuary heirs. One daughter receives one-half of the net estate. Two or more daughters collectively receive two-thirds, divided equally regardless of age or birth order. If no residuary heir exists to absorb the remaining share, Radd applies under the Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools — the surplus returns to the daughters proportionally. The Hanafi school sends the surplus to the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal).

Under Hanafi rules, what do daughters inherit when there is no son?

Under the Hanafi madhab, one daughter receives one-half and two or more daughters receive two-thirds collectively — the same fixed shares as all other schools. The distinctive Hanafi position is on Radd: if no male residuary heir exists, the Hanafi school does not return the surplus to daughters. Instead it passes to the Bayt al-Mal (public treasury). The Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools return the surplus to the daughters proportionally, meaning daughters may effectively receive the full estate under those schools.

Only Daughters and No Sons in Islamic Inheritance — Complete Faraid Guide