The Law of Inheritance for Muslims has been an interest of study for many orientalists and authors. Even though it is not as complex as today’s technological advancement and rocket science, most people are unaware of Islamic inheritance law.
Many modern calculators have been developed over the course of time by computer professionals and lawyers. Khwarizmi’s algebraic invention was rooted in Islamic inheritance and helping the world, but later, it helped simplify Islamic inheritance into small calculation algorithms using modern programming techniques.
Before appreciation is given to Khwarizmi’s achievement in Algebra, a brief explanation of Islamic inheritance law is necessary. Islamic inheritance calculations require mathematical and analytical skills to understand the text’s literal meaning, and some points you can note below.
Shares and Sharers: There are two types of shares in Islamic law; Fixed and Residuary. Fixed shares are summed up to get the total, and the remaining portion goes to Residuary. There are specific definitions and requirements under Islamic law regarding who can inherit as a fixed sharer or Residuary.
Blocking rules: There are specific blocking rules that apply for example, if Sons survive, Grandsons, how low soever, will be blocked from taking inheritance. In another example, if Father survives, the Grandfather will be blocked from taking the inheritance. Some blocking rules may differ among Sunni Islamic jurisprudence (i.e., Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki, and Hanbali).
Calculations: Four scenarios are used for calculations based on the value of total shares. No further calculations are required if the total share is 1 (or 100%). If the total share is less than 1 (or 100%) and the residuary survives, the residuary will receive residue. If the total share is less than 1 (or 100%), but the residuary does not survive, all shares are proportionally increased. If the total share is more than 1 (or 100%), all shares are proportionally decreased.
Special conditions: In some special situations, those fall outside of normal calculations and are treated differently, but they rarely happen in the real world.
Estate distribution: The final estate distribution is done based on the inheritance shares calculation completed, but certain deductions are to be made before final distribution to heirs. The deductions include expenses, debts, bequests, and so on.
After a brief review of Islamic inheritance calculation, you may realize how Al-Khwarizmi deduced modern algebraic inventions. Islamic inheritance calculations require a three-dimensional understanding, including mathematical and analytical skills. You can learn Islamic inheritance and other worldwide laws on Wassiyyah’s free resources website called Islamic Inheritance law.
Islamic Inheritance is the foundation principle of Islamic estate planning tools such as Wills and Trusts. If you want to learn more or create your estate plan, visit Wassiyyah, the Islamic estate planning service provider. Wassiyyah provides exclusive free and premium blogs and articles regarding estate planning.
