Surah An-Nisa Verse 12 - English Translation by Dr Kamal Omar
Surah An-Nisa۞وَلَكُمۡ نِصۡفُ مَا تَرَكَ أَزۡوَٰجُكُمۡ إِن لَّمۡ يَكُن لَّهُنَّ وَلَدٞۚ فَإِن كَانَ لَهُنَّ وَلَدٞ فَلَكُمُ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكۡنَۚ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ وَصِيَّةٖ يُوصِينَ بِهَآ أَوۡ دَيۡنٖۚ وَلَهُنَّ ٱلرُّبُعُ مِمَّا تَرَكۡتُمۡ إِن لَّمۡ يَكُن لَّكُمۡ وَلَدٞۚ فَإِن كَانَ لَكُمۡ وَلَدٞ فَلَهُنَّ ٱلثُّمُنُ مِمَّا تَرَكۡتُمۚ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ وَصِيَّةٖ تُوصُونَ بِهَآ أَوۡ دَيۡنٖۗ وَإِن كَانَ رَجُلٞ يُورَثُ كَلَٰلَةً أَوِ ٱمۡرَأَةٞ وَلَهُۥٓ أَخٌ أَوۡ أُخۡتٞ فَلِكُلِّ وَٰحِدٖ مِّنۡهُمَا ٱلسُّدُسُۚ فَإِن كَانُوٓاْ أَكۡثَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَهُمۡ شُرَكَآءُ فِي ٱلثُّلُثِۚ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ وَصِيَّةٖ يُوصَىٰ بِهَآ أَوۡ دَيۡنٍ غَيۡرَ مُضَآرّٖۚ وَصِيَّةٗ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَلِيمٞ
And for you is half what your marital partners leave when there is no child for those women. But if there is for those women a child then for you (the share is) one fourth out of what those women left. (All this distribution process shall commence) after the (fulfillment of) bequeathal those women bequeath about it or (the complete payment of) any debt (which is to the credit of these women). And for those (wives, the share is) one fourth out of what you (husbands) left, if (there) is not to you a child. But if (there) is to you a child then for those (wives the share is) one eighth out of what you left. (All this distribution process shall commence) after the (fulfillment of) bequeathal (which) you (husbands) bequeath about it or (the complete payment of) any debt (which is to your credit). And if the man who leaves inheritance happens to be Al-Kalalah or (even when it is not man but) a woman, and for that is a brother or a sister, then for each one of the two (the share is) one sixth. But if they (i.e., brother or sister; or brothers and sisters together) happened to be more than this, then they (together are) share holders in one third after the (fulfillment of) bequeathal which was bequeathed about it or (the payment of) any debt (to the credit of the deceased) — without (intention of) damage (to any one) — a bequeathal coming (direct) from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, Most-Forbearing. [The formula applicable to Al-Kalalah if there is no child, appears in the last verse of this Surah. There the shares applicable to the brother and sister get increased due to the absence of the offspring; and ‘the male getting double of the female’ also becomes applicable. Thus the Book of Allah itself gives the definition of the word Al-Kalalah. It means a person who has no ascendants and no marital partner]