(Acknowledgment goes to Ex-Muslim_HOTD, whose post served as the inspiration for this detailed article)
There is no divine Allah present in the heavens, and Muhammad had to create Islamic laws on his own.
Since Muhammad was only a human and not well-educated, he made significant "Mathematical Mistakes" while distributing inheritance.
Furthermore, your human intellect will clearly guide you to recognize that these Islamic rulings are ridiculous and lack wisdom.
As expected, it is only women who have to suffer due to these absurd rulings.
Table of Contents:
(1) When SHARES make less than the Estate (An 'Asbah عصبة Case)
For instance, let's consider a scenario where an individual passes away, leaving behind one daughter, parents, and wife. In such a case:
- The share of the daughter is 1/2 of the estate, based on the verse: “...and if there is only one daughter, then she shall have half the inheritance.” [Quran 4:11].
- And the share of the parents is 1/6 + 1/6 = 1/3 of the estate, based on the verse: “... For parents, a sixth share of inheritance to each if the deceased left children” [Quran 4:11].
- And the wife’s share = 1/8 of the estate, based on the verse: “…they get an eighth of that which you leave” [Quran 4:12].
The total number of shares in this case is calculated as follows: 1/2 for the daughter + 1/3 for the parents + 1/8 for the wife, resulting in a total of 0.96.
To illustrate, if the deceased left behind $1000, according to the Qur'an, the judge would only need to distribute $960 among the heirs, leaving $40 remaining.
When confronted with this mathematical error, Muhammad found it impossible to rectify. As a solution, he advised them to allocate the remaining portion of the estate to the nearest "male" relative (Source: Sahih Muslim, 1615a). This is known as 'Asbah عصبة.
While the remaining amount of $40 USD in this particular scenario may appear insignificant for the next male relative, little did Muhammad know that it would turn out to be a fatal mistake. This error resulted in Islamic rulings that are deemed ridiculous, illogical, and unjust towards women.
Allow me to provide a few examples to demonstrate the unjust nature of these inheritance laws, and your human intellect will naturally recognize their lack of wisdom.
Numerous online Islamic inheritance calculators are available. For instance:
- Calculator 1 (A simple Islamic inheritance calculator).
- Calculator 2 (A detailed Islamic inheritance calculator)
Please use any online calculator to verify the following examples.
1st Example: Old Widow will get 25%, while a “MALE” relative (even a distant one like a cousin, or his son, or his grandson) will get 75%
In the case where the deceased has no children but only a wife and a distant male relative (such as a cousin, or his son, or his grandson), the distribution of shares would be as follows:
The widow will receive 25% of the inheritance, while the "male" relative, regardless of their proximity, will receive the remaining 75%.
| Relative | Share Fraction | Share Percentage |
|
Wife
|
1/4
|
25%
|
|
Any distant male Relative like |
3/4
|
75%
|
In the case of a wife who remains with her husband throughout her life, it may seem unjust that when she becomes a widow in her old age, she is entitled to only 25% of the inheritance. Meanwhile, the remaining 75% of the inheritance is awarded to a distant male relative, such as a cousin or any of his descendants, whom the deceased person may have never even encountered.
- Does this arrangement appear sensible to you?
- Can you discern any divine wisdom in this particular Islamic law?
- Do you believe that justice has been served to women by Muhammad/Allah in this regard?
Interestingly, the opposite scenario does not hold true. If a woman passes away, her husband will inherit all her property, regardless of the presence of her closest relatives.
2nd Example: Mother will get 33.33%, while distant relatives (like cousins, or his son, or his grandson) will get 66.67%
Similarly, if the deceased person has an old mother and a distant male relative, the distribution of shares would be as follows:
| Relative | Share Fraction | Share Percentage |
|
Mother
|
1/3
|
33.33%
|
|
Any distant male Relative like |
2/3
|
66.67%
|
Therefore, in this case, the old mother will receive only 33.33% of the inheritance, while a cousin (or his descendants, whom the deceased person may not have even encountered in his entire life) will receive 66.67%.
One might question the rationale behind this distribution and whether any divine wisdom can be perceived in it.
3rd Example: Sister will get much more share in inheritance than the mother and the wife
Even if the sister is married, she will still receive a larger share of the inheritance compared to the mother or the wife.
| Relative | Share Fraction | Share Percentage |
| Mother | 2/5 | 40% |
| Sister | 3/5 | 60% |
Despite the closer bond between a mother and her son, the illogical distribution of shares dictated by the Quran results in the sister receiving a larger inheritance portion than the mother (even if the sister is married).
Furthermore, the widow's share is even smaller than that of the mother, while the sister's share becomes even more substantial.
| Relative | Share Fraction | Share Percentage |
| Wife | 1/4 | 25% |
| Sister | 3/4 | 75% |
Moreover, even if a deceased person has a daughter, still half of the property will go to the sister (even if she is married).
| Relative | Share Fraction | Share Percentage |
| Daughter | 1/2 | 50% |
| Sister | 1/2 | 50% |
These inequitable and absurd divisions are a result of the illogical Islamic laws of inheritance, which lack any divine wisdom.
(2) When SHARES make MORE than the Estate (An 'Awl عول Case)
For instance, in the case where an individual passes away, leaving behind three daughters, parents, and wife, the distribution of inheritance would be as follows:
- The share of the three daughters is 2/3 of the estate, based on the verse: “...If (the heirs of the deceased are) more than two daughters, they shall have two-thirds of the inheritance” [Quran 4:11].
- And the share of the parents is 1/6 + 1/6 = 1/3 of the estate, based on the verse: “... For parents, a sixth share of inheritance to each if the deceased left children” [Quran 4:11].
- And the wife’s share = 1/8 of the estate, based on the verse: “…they get an eighth of that which you leave” [Quran 4:12].
The total number of shares in this scenario is calculated as 2/3 for the daughters + 1/3 for the parents + 1/8 for the wife, resulting in a total of 1.125.
In other words, if the deceased left behind 1000 dinars, according to the Quran, the judge would require 1125 dinars to distribute among the heirs, which exceeds the available amount.
Muhammad passed away without providing any solution to rectify this mathematical mistake in the Quran or Hadith.
Later, a similar case was presented to 'Umar Ibn Khattab, and he also found himself at a loss regarding what to do. However, someone suggested that he proportionally reduce the share of all heirs, and 'Umar adopted this "self-made" solution in an attempt to address the mathematical error in the Quran (link).
However, Ibn Abbas disagreed with 'Umar's approach, and Shia Muslims also have a differing perspective. They proposed an alternative "self-fabricated" solution (link).
In Islam, the Creator of Two Trillion Galaxies can’t add fractions, and thus Islamic Sharia has one Quranic Mathematical Error and 2 self-fabricated solutions.
(3) Linguistic Mistake in the Quran
Quran 4:11:
فَإِن كُنَّ نِسَآءً فَوْقَ ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُنَّ ثُلُثَا مَا تَرَكَ
If (the heirs of the deceased are) more than two daughters, they shall have two-thirds of the inheritance
Allah is incorrectly using the phrase “more than two daughters” when He actually wanted to say “two or more daughters”.
It is a clear linguistic mistake, and it happened while no Allah is present in the heavens, and Muhammad was making the revelation on his own.
All Muslim Scholars agree that two daughters will get 2/3 of the estate.
Muhammad himself distributed 2/3rd of the estate between two daughters.
Sunan Tirmidhi, 2092:
“The wife of Sa’d bin Rabi’ came with the two daughters of Sa’d to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, these are the two daughters of Sa’d. He was killed with you on the day of Uhud, and their paternal uncle has taken all that their father left behind, and a woman is only married for her wealth.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) remained silent until the Verse of inheritance was revealed to him. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the brother of Sa’d bin Rabi’ and said: ‘Give the two daughters of Sa’d two thirds of his wealth, and give his wife on eighth, and take what is left.’”
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) by Imam Tirmidhi and Hassan (i.e. Fair) by Al-Albani and al-Arnaut.
Tehrif (Distortion) Case:
The magnitude of this error was significant enough that modern Muslim Quran translators had to resort to distorting the translation by changing it to "two or more daughters." This can be observed in translations such as Yousuf Ali's.
(Quran 4:11) Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. (Yusuf Ali, Saudi Revised Edition,1985)
Furthermore, there are other modern Quran translators who have also adopted this distorted translation of "two or more daughters."
- Mustafa Khattab
- Study Quran
- Shabbir Ahmed
- Syed Vickar Ahamed
- Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)
- Abdel Haleem
- Bilal Muhammad
- Mohammad Shafi
In contrast to these modern translators, there are other translators who have chosen not to make any distortion in the translation and have accurately translated it as "more than two daughters." Some of these translators include:
- Word by Word Translation by Corpus Quran
- Muhammad Asad
- Literal Translation by Dr. Shahnaz Sheikh
- Pickthal
- Safi Kaskas
- Wahiduddin Khan
- Shakir
- Laleh Bakhtiar
- Abdul Hye
- Kamal Omar
- Farook Malik
- Muhammad Sarwar
- Taqi Usmani
- Ahmed Ali
- Aisha Bewley
- Maududi
It is regrettable that certain modern Islamic apologists have deemed dishonesty permissible for themselves. They engage in distortions, concealment, and outright lies. However, the truth has a way of revealing itself despite their efforts.
Kalālah (Arabic: كلالة) is an Islamic inheritance term used to describe a deceased person who has an estate but lacks direct ascendants or descendants (meaning they have neither parents nor children).
The writer of the Quran (i.e. Muhammad himself), initially revealed the rulings on inheritance during the third year of the Hijri calendar after the battle of Uhud, which resulted in the death of 70 Muslims and the subsequent need to divide their inheritance. (Please see the introduction of Surah al-Nisa by Maududi).
During that period in the third year of the Hijri calendar, the Quran prescribed the division of inheritance for a Kalalah individual (someone who has neither parents nor children) in the following manner:
Suran al-Nisa 4:12:
۔۔۔ وَإِن كَانَ رَجُلٌ يُورَثُ كَلاَلَةً أَوِ امْرَأَةٌ وَلَهُ أَخٌ أَوْ أُخْتٌ فَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا السُّدُسُ فَإِن كَانُواْ أَكْثَرَ مِن ذَلِكَ فَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ فِي الثُّلُثِ ۔۔
... And if a man or woman leaves neither ascendants nor descendants but has a brother or a sister, then for each one of them is a sixth. But if they are more than two, they share a third ...
Consequently, in the 3rd Hijri year, the distribution of inheritance for a Kalalah person included the following provisions for the share of brothers and sisters:
- If the Kalalah person had only one brother or sister, their share was set at 1/6th of the estate.
- In the case of multiple brothers and sisters, they would all receive equal portions from 1/3rd of the estate.
However, a complication arose six years later when, in the 9th Hijri year, the writer of the Quran (Muhammad himself) seemingly forgot this ruling and claimed a new revelation, altering the share of brothers and sisters for a Kalalah person. The revised distribution was as follows:
Surah al-Nisa, verse 176:
- يَسْتَفْتُونَكَ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِى ٱلْكَلَٰلَةِ ۚ إِنِ ٱمْرُؤٌا۟ هَلَكَ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌ وَلَهُۥٓ أُخْتٌ فَلَهَا نِصْفُ مَا تَرَكَ ۚ وَهُوَ يَرِثُهَآ إِن لَّمْ يَكُن لَّهَا وَلَدٌ ۚ فَإِن كَانَتَا ٱثْنَتَيْنِ فَلَهُمَا ٱلثُّلُثَانِ مِمَّا تَرَكَ ۚ وَإِن كَانُوٓا۟ إِخْوَةً رِّجَالًا وَنِسَآءً فَلِلذَّكَرِ مِثْلُ حَظِّ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۗ
- They request from you a [legal] ruling. Say, "Allah gives you a ruling concerning one having neither descendants nor ascendants [as heirs]." If a man dies, leaving no child but [only] a sister, she will have half of what he left. And he inherits from her if she [dies and] has no child. But if there are two sisters [or more], they will have two-thirds of what he left. If there are both brothers and sisters, the male will have the share of two females.
Hence, in the 9th Hijri year, the distribution of inheritance for a Kalalah person introduced the following shares for brothers and sisters:
- A single sister of a Kalalah person would receive half of the estate.
- A single brother of a Kalalah person would inherit the entirety of the estate (i.e., twice the share of a sister).
- If there are two or more sisters, the remaining two-thirds of the estate would be divided equally among them.
- In the presence of both brothers and sisters, the entire estate would be divided in a manner where brothers receive double the share of sisters.
Consequently, these two Quranic verses present a significant contradiction concerning the shares of brothers and sisters of a Kalalah person, causing confusion among Muslims.
Maududi wrote under the commentary of this verse of Surah al-Nisa 4:176 (link):
This verse was revealed long after the revelation of the rest of this surah. According to certain traditions, this verse was the very last Qur'anic verse to be revealed. (For these traditions, see Ibn Kathir's comments on this verse - Ed.) Even if this is disputed, it shows at least that this verse was revealed in 9 A.H., whereas the Muslims had been reciting the present surah, al-Nisa, for quite some time before that. It was for this reason that this verse was not included among the verses relating to inheritance mentioned at the beginning of the surah, but was attached to it at the end as an appendix (i.e. it is the last verse of Surah al-Nisa).
You can read more about Kalalah here.
(5) Quranists (The Rejectors of Hadith) making their own new Quran
Modern Quranists, who reject the authority of Hadith, also found themselves grappling with this mathematical error. As a result, they resorted to fabricating their own new Quran. They claimed that the wife's share, equivalent to 1/8 of the estate, should be allocated FIRST, and then the remaining portion should be distributed among the remaining heirs.Thus:
- The wife will get FIRST the 1/8 of the whole estate.
- And then from the remaining estate, parents will get 1/3, and daughters will get 2/3
- This makes 1/3 of parents + 2/3 of daughters = 1
They cite verse 4:33 as evidence to support their belief that the wife's share should be given priority and allocated first from the entire estate.
Answer:
Let us examine verse 4:33:
(Quran 4:33) And for all We (have) made heirs of what (is) left (by) the parents and the relatives. And those whom pledged your right hands - then give them their share. Indeed, Allah is over every thing a Witness.
Nowhere in this verse does it explicitly state that the wife should be given her share first from the entire estate. The idea of prioritizing the wife's share as the Quranists propose is a novel interpretation, similar to Umar Ibn Khattab's new solution of 'AWL or the different solution offered by Ibn Abbas/Shias. While this alternative may address the issue of inheritance, it does not resolve the underlying mathematical mistake in the Quran.
It is important to note that the Quran claims that:
- Its verses are "easy" to understand" (Quran 54:17)
- Its verses are "clear", "manifest" and "guidance" (Quran 27:1-2)
- It was revealed in the Arabic language so that they could understand it (Quran 12:2)
But then according to modern Quranist standards:
- This Quranic claim appears to be contradicted here, as the companions (Sahaba) and the billions of Muslims over the past 14 centuries, who have diligently read and contemplated the same Quran, were allegedly misguided according to modern Quranists. They were supposedly unable to comprehend that the Quran intends for the wife to be given her share first.
- Thus, the Quran is deemed to be deceptive in its assertion of clarity and ease of understanding. This raises doubts about following such an ambiguous book that allegedly leads its billions of followers astray despite their unwavering faith and continuous contemplation.
Furthermore, there is no such solution present in the Hadith literature either, which suggests giving the wife her share first. In fact, Muhammad himself recognized the impracticality of dividing the entire estate according to the Quranic rulings and instructed to distribute the remainder to the next male relative. Throughout the 1400-year history of Islam, this solution suggested by modern Quranists today has been absent.
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