Inheritance
Question
If a man first married a woman and had 4 children, then divorced her and married another woman from whom he had 6 children. He had two houses, one of which he named for his second wife. Now that this man has passed away, and distribution of property has begun. Do the four children have any right over the house named in their step-mother's name? The 6 children from the second marriage say that they paid for that house so the 4 children from the first marriage have no right over it. Please can you explain what is the right way to go about this matter?
Answer
All the children of the deceased father will inherit from the deceased father's estate according to the Shar'ee stipulated shares of inheritance. If the house is part of the estate, then all will inherit in the house.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
يُوصِيكُمُ اللَّـهُ فِي أَوْلَادِكُمْ لِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَاءً فَوْقَ اثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ وَإِن كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً فَلَهَا النِّصْفُ وَلِأَبَوَيْهِ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا السُّدُسُ مِمَّا تَرَكَ إِن كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ فَإِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلَدٌ وَوَرِثَهُ أَبَوَاهُ فَلِأُمِّهِ الثُّلُثُ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُ إِخْوَةٌ فَلِأُمِّهِ السُّدُسُ مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِي بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ لَا تَدْرُونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ لَكُمْ نَفْعًا فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّـهِ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ﴿النساء: ١١﴾
- Answered by
- Mufti Zakaria Makada
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
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