Does the verse mean that the male receives double the female's share?

The Almighty says: "For the male like the share of two females" meaning he gets a share equal to his two sisters. They get two-thirds and he gets one-third. This is because God used the word 'share' (Hadh) and not 'portion' (Nasib).

The verse "For the male like the share of two females" appears in the Book of God in two locations:

  • • First: In the verse concerning the share of children: "Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females." [An-Nisa 11]
  • • Second: In the verse concerning the share of siblings: "And if there are brothers and sisters, for the male will be the share of two females." [An-Nisa 176]

1- Inheritance of Children

First Possibility: Equality of shares when the number of females is exactly two.

Example: If we have $100 of inheritance.

Case 1

Number of females fixed at two - one male. The share becomes 100 / 3 = $33.33. Thus, the male receives a share equal to each of the two females equally.

Case 2

Number of females fixed at two - two males. The share becomes 100 / 4 = $25. Each male receives a share equal to each of the two females.

Second Possibility: "But if there are [only] women, more than two, for them is two thirds of what he left"

This means if the number of females is more than two (three or more), regardless of the number of males.

In this case, the females get two-thirds of the inheritance (2/3) distributed equally among them, and the males get one-third (1/3) distributed equally among them.

Calculation Example

Number of females "3" (more than two) - one male. The females' share (2/3) = $66.66 ($22.22 each). The male's share (1/3) = $33.33.

Third Possibility: "And if there is only one, for her is half"

  • • Scenario A: One female and one male. The female gets half ($50) and the male get what remains ($50).
  • • Scenario B: One female and two males. The female gets half ($50) and the two males get what remains ($50, i.e., $25 each).

2- The Verse of Kalala (Siblings)

Allah says: "If a man dies, leaving no child but has a sister, for her is half of what he left."

God uses the word 'perished' (Halaka) to describe the death of a person who left no offspring and has no father, mother, or spouse, but has siblings.

In this case, a single sister takes half of the inheritance ($50), and the other half is distributed equally among the male brothers, regardless of their number.

If he has two sisters, they receive two-thirds (2/3) regardless of the number of brothers, whose share becomes the remaining one-third (1/3).

Conclusion:

If there is one son and four daughters, the male takes the share of two females; thus, the male takes one-third and the four females take two-thirds. In other cases, the male's share is typically equal to the female's share based on the context of 'Hadh' (share) mentioned in the Quran.