BROADLY, HOW DOES THE QUR’ANIC SUCCESSION WORK?

The Qur'an is a complete guide for Muslims. In the area of inheritance, it has laid out very specific principles that allow the equitable and just distribution of the estate of a person upon his death. The shares of the surviving family members have been fixed in a determined order of succession, which makes it clear and unambiguous to divide the estate. These fixed shares are then allocated between primary beneficiaries and contingent ones. Primary beneficiaries are those individuals who benefit from an estate under all circumstances. Contingent beneficiaries, on the other hand, are those who inherit depending on the existence or non-existence of individual primary beneficiaries. Primary beneficiaries are essentially the spouse, children and parents, while contingent beneficiaries are a range of individuals - upstream, downstream and sideways. These may be grandparents, siblings, grandchildren, uncles and aunts and so forth. The specific relationship matters, often in granular detail, and the presence of certain heirs blocks others from receiving any inheritance.