What Is Dhawil Arham? When Distant Relatives Can Inherit

Dhawil arham are blood relatives who are neither ashab al-furud nor asabah. Main examples: grandchildren through a daughter; a sister's children; a brother's daughters; children of uterine siblings; a maternal uncle (khal) & aunts (khalah/'ammah); and the maternal grandfather (the mother's father).

When are dhawil arham considered?

ONLY when the deceased has no ashab al-furud at all (other than a spouse) and no asabah. As long as one valid blood heir exists — even as distant as a cousin — dhawil arham do not inherit.

Differences between the schools

• Shafi'i & Maliki (original position): dhawil arham do not inherit; the residue goes to the Baitulmal.
• Hanafi & Hanbali: dhawil arham inherit when there are no heirs — taking precedence over the Baitulmal.
• Later Shafi'i fatwas (muta'akhkhirin): when the Baitulmal is not properly administered, dhawil arham are allowed to inherit — the position widely adopted later.

The tanzil method

The distribution method held by the Shafi'is (& Hanbalis) is tanzil: each relative is "stepped down" into the position of the heir who links them — a daughter's child takes the daughter's place; the khal takes the mother's place; a sister's child takes the sister's place. Faraid is calculated among the "links", then each link's share is distributed to the relatives beneath it. (The Hanafi school instead uses the qarabah method — by strength of kinship, which can yield different results.)

A note of caution

This chapter is a wide field of ijtihad & scholarly difference — the ordering of degrees, distribution within groups (2:1 or equal) and which relative types are covered are all debated. For real cases, obtain confirmation from the Syariah Court/a competent authority.

💡 The eFaraid Dhawil Arham Calculator implements tanzil for 31 relative types up to the third degree, with two simultaneous calculations (2:1 and equal) when the results differ — complete with a khilaf disclaimer.