QUESTION NO. 8
A WOMAN’S INHERITANCE
The same goes for inheritance laws (4:11). Why do daughters get a smaller share than sons? The explanation usually provided is that daughters get their fair share of property from their husbands. However, this argument fails on the following counts:
- One, what if the daughter never marries all her life? In this situation, there is no husband from whom she can inherit anything.
- Secondly, what if the husband of the daughter dies penniless and leaves nothing behind for his wife?
- Dr. Shabbir explains that unmarried women can be cared for by “other males in the family”, but we see around us that there are many women who are completely destitute and without any male (or even female) family member to care for them. Old age homes are filled with such unfortunate cases.
ANSWER NO. 8 BY AURANGZAIB:
Again the same universal truth applies which separates both sexes’ fields of operations. Man, being a player of the outer world, has a mandatory duty to provide for his female partner and the family. Only he has the savage competitive instincts, fierce combative temperament, cruel determination, unshaken fortitude and tireless stamina for hard labor required to deal with the harsh and merciless realities of the outer world.
Woman, being responsible for the inner or internal world of our existence, usually remains free from the hardships of earning bread and butter for her family. Now keeping in view that the entire responsibility of family economics lies upon man, the inheritance laws give due consideration to his financial liabilities and allots double share to him from parental inheritance as compared with the share of a woman.
This issue is not to be pondered upon in relation with husband and wife and/or father and daughter, or brother versus sister. This issue must have light thrown upon it in the greater perspective of MAN and WOMAN and their distinct separate overall natural roles in the society.
It is a normal phenomenon, in civilized societies, that man hands over his earnings to his female partner running their common household. In that sense, a man’s earning is not to be regarded solely his own income, but it is the earning and the entitlement of both partners of a household. Therefore, man should not be construed as a bread and butter provider, having an edge over woman who cannot go out freely to earn. She on her part works even harder than man to provide for and sustain the family indoors and, sometimes, partly outdoors.
The conclusion, therefore, is that the Quranic Inheritance Laws do not deprive women of their due and legitimate share; but do take into account the overall perspective of their lives and their natural roles and responsibilities.