Step-by-Step Faraid Calculation — Worked Examples for Every Family Type

A Faraid calculation has a fixed sequence of steps. The mistake most families make is jumping straight to percentages without first establishing the net estate, confirming which heirs are eligible, and checking whether any blocking rules apply. This guide walks through the complete process six times — one worked example for each of the most common family structures a Muslim estate will encounter. Every example uses real numbers and explains the reasoning behind each step, not just the arithmetic.

These examples are educational. Real estates involve local succession law, jointly owned property, business valuations, tax, debts, and madhab-specific rulings that require qualified advice. Use these worked examples to understand the logic of Faraid, then verify your specific situation with a scholar or estate professional. The FaraidHub Faraid calculator handles the arithmetic automatically once you enter your heirs.

How a Faraid Calculation Works: The Six Steps

Every Faraid calculation — regardless of family structure — follows the same six steps in order. Skipping any step or doing them out of sequence produces wrong results.

1. Establish the net estate. Deduct funeral and burial costs, all debts of the deceased, and any valid wasiyyah (bequest up to one-third of the net estate) from the gross estate. The Faraid shares are calculated on the net estate only.
2. Identify eligible heirs and apply blocking rules (Hajb). Not everyone who survives the deceased will inherit. Certain heirs block others. The presence of children blocks siblings. The presence of a father blocks the grandfather. Confirm who actually qualifies before calculating any shares.
3. Assign fixed shares (Ashabul Furud). The Quran specifies fractional shares for a defined group of heirs: spouses, daughters, parents, and certain other relatives. Assign these first.
4. Assign the residue to residuary heirs (Asabah). Whatever remains after fixed shares is taken by the closest male agnate — most commonly a son, or the father when no son exists.
5. Check for Awl. If the fixed shares total more than the entire estate (more than 1), apply Awl: proportionally reduce all shares so they fit within the estate.
6. Check for Radd. If fixed shares leave a surplus and no residuary heir exists, apply Radd: return the surplus proportionally to the fixed-share heirs (excluding the spouse under most madhabs).

Example 1 — The Standard Family: Spouse, Children, Both Parents

This is the most common family structure in a Faraid calculation. It covers the majority of estates and illustrates how fixed shares and residuary shares work together.

The deceased: A Muslim man. Surviving heirs: Wife, one son, two daughters, mother, father.

Step 1: Net estate

Step 2: Eligible heirs and blocking

All five heirs are eligible. The presence of children (son and daughters) reduces the wife's share from 1/4 to 1/8 and reduces the mother's share from 1/3 to 1/6. The son and daughters are residuary heirs who take whatever remains after fixed shares. No blocking applies here — no heir is excluded.

Steps 3–4: Assign fixed shares, then residue

No awl needed (fixed shares are 11/24, well under 1). No radd needed (the son and daughters take the entire residue). The estate is fully distributed.

Example 2 — Daughters Only, No Son

When the deceased leaves daughters but no son, the daughters shift from residuary heirs to fixed-share heirs. This changes the structure significantly and usually triggers a radd calculation.

The deceased: A Muslim man. Surviving heirs: Wife, two daughters, mother, father.

Net estate: R800,000 (after all deductions).

The fixed shares total 25/24 — they exceed the estate. Awl applies.

Applying Awl

Convert all fractions to a common denominator of 24: wife = 3/24, daughters = 16/24, mother = 4/24, father = 4/24. Total numerators = 27. The new denominator becomes 27. Each heir's share is now their numerator over 27.

Each heir receives slightly less than their original Quranic share, but the proportions between them are preserved exactly. This is the justice of Awl — no heir is prioritised over another when the estate cannot cover all shares in full.

Example 3 — No Children: Spouse, Parents, Siblings

When the deceased leaves no children, the calculation changes substantially. The wife's share rises to 1/4, the mother's share may rise to 1/3, and siblings may inherit where children would have blocked them. This example shows how the absence of children reshapes the entire distribution.

The deceased: A Muslim man. Surviving heirs: Wife, mother, father, two full brothers.

Net estate: R600,000.

The father's presence blocks the two brothers entirely — under all four madhabs, the paternal grandfather or father takes priority over siblings as residuary heir. The brothers receive nothing.

*The mother's share when no children are present: 1/3 of the full estate if there are no siblings of the deceased; 1/6 if there are surviving siblings. Here, the brothers are blocked and do not count as "siblings" for this purpose under the majority view, so the mother receives 1/3. Madhabs differ slightly — verify with a qualified scholar for your specific case.

Example 4 — Radd: Fixed Shares Leave a Surplus

Radd is the mirror image of Awl. It occurs when all fixed shares are assigned and a surplus remains, but no residuary (Asabah) heir exists to take it. The surplus must be returned to the fixed-share heirs. This commonly happens when the deceased leaves only a mother and daughters — no father, no son, no brother.

The deceased: A Muslim woman. Surviving heirs: Husband, one daughter, mother. (Father already deceased, no sons, no brothers.)

Net estate: R500,000.

There is no Asabah heir to take the 1/12 surplus. Radd applies. Under the Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hanbali madhabs, the husband is excluded from Radd — the surplus returns only to the daughter and mother in proportion to their original shares. Under the Maliki madhab, the husband also participates in Radd.

Radd distribution (Hanafi/Shafi'i/Hanbali — excluding spouse)

The daughter's share is 6/12 and the mother's is 2/12 — a ratio of 6:2 = 3:1. The surplus of R41,667 is divided in this ratio.

Under the Maliki madhab, the husband would also receive a share of the R41,667 surplus, proportional to his 3/12 original share relative to the other heirs. The practical difference between madhabs matters most when the surplus is large.

Example 5 — Multiple Wives

Under Islamic law, a man may have up to four wives simultaneously. All wives together share a single spousal portion — they do not each receive the full spousal share. This is one of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of Faraid.

The deceased: A Muslim man with two wives. Surviving heirs: Wife 1, Wife 2, one son, one daughter.

Net estate: R1,200,000.

The wives share the spousal portion between them equally regardless of which wife had more children or was married longer. Each child's share is also unaffected by which wife is their mother — all children of the same father inherit from the same pool. For a full treatment of multiple-wife estates, see our guide on multiple wives and Islamic inheritance.

Example 6 — Spouse and Distant Relatives Only

This scenario is less common but important: the deceased leaves only a spouse and distant relatives — no children, no parents, no siblings. The spouse receives their full fixed share, and the remainder goes to more distant relatives (Dhawul Arham) under Hanafi and Hanbali rules, or to the public treasury under early Maliki and Shafi'i positions.

The deceased: A Muslim woman. Surviving heirs: Husband only (no children, no parents, no siblings).

Net estate: R400,000.

Under the Maliki madhab, the husband also receives the R200,000 surplus through Radd, giving him the entire estate. Under Hanafi and Hanbali, the surplus goes to the nearest Dhawul Arham relative (maternal aunts, maternal uncles, grandchildren through daughters). Under early Shafi'i, the surplus reverts to the public treasury (Bait al-Mal). This is one of the clearest examples of how madhab choice materially affects the outcome — and why stating your madhab before calculating is essential. See our guide on differences between the four madhabs.

The Eight Most Common Faraid Calculation Mistakes

After working through these six examples, the following mistakes should be avoided. They account for the vast majority of errors in manually calculated Faraid distributions.

1. Calculating on the gross estate instead of the net estate after deductions.
2. Giving the wife 1/4 when children are present — it should be 1/8.
3. Forgetting that daughters shift from residuary to fixed-share heirs (2/3 collectively) when no son exists.
4. Including siblings when the father is alive — the father blocks all siblings under all four madhabs.
5. Applying awl when shares total less than 1 — awl only applies when they exceed 1.
6. Applying radd when a residuary heir (Asabah) is present — radd only applies when no such heir exists.
7. Giving each wife a full spousal share instead of dividing one spousal share among all wives equally.
8. Rounding individual shares without checking that rounded amounts still sum to the exact net estate.

Using the FaraidHub Calculator

The worked examples above are designed to help you understand the logic of Faraid — why each step happens and what the Quranic basis is. For your own estate, the FaraidHub Faraid calculator handles the arithmetic automatically. You enter the net estate value, select your madhab, and add your heirs. The calculator applies all blocking rules, assigns fixed shares, calculates residue, and checks for awl and radd automatically. It then generates a downloadable PDF report with a full calculation trace showing every step.

If you need to create a legally valid Islamic will that reflects your Faraid distribution, the FaraidHub Will Generator can help you draft the document. For estates with complex assets — property in multiple countries, business interests, or pension funds — we recommend combining the calculator output with professional legal advice.

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