Surah 4:11-12 – Allah directs you as regards your Children’s Inheritance: to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the only heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. The distribution in all cases after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Al-wise. In what your wives leave, your share is a half, if they leave no child; but if they leave a child, ye get a fourth; after payment of legacies and debts. In what ye leave, their share is a fourth, if ye leave no child; but if ye leave a child, they get an eighth; after payment of legacies and debts. If the man or woman whose inheritance is in question, has left neither ascendants nor descendants, but has left a brother or a sister, each one of the two gets a sixth; but if more than two, they share in a third; after payment of legacies and debts; so that no loss is caused to anyone. Thus, is it ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Most Forbearing.
THE ALLEGED CONTRADICTION:
It is stated in the Qur’an inheritance law in the above verses when a man dies, and is leaving behind three daughters, his two parents and his wife, they will receive the respective shares of 2/3 for the 3 daughters together, 1/3 for the parents together both according to verse S4:11 and 1/8 for the wife at S4:12 which adds up to more than the available estate.
1) The daughters together get 2/3 of inheritance. (16/24)
2) The father gets 1/6. (4/24)
3) The mother gets 1/6. (4/24)
4) His wife gets 1/8. (3/24)
Total claim on the estate will be 16/24 + 4/24 + 4/24 + 3/24 = 27/24.
It is a contradiction and the big question is: Can these kinds of mathematic come from God? To the Muslim readers: Before you simply comfort yourselves with some explanation you find in a Muslim website, read the verse carefully. And think how is it even possible to have any money left over after spending all of it for daughters + father + mother (sum = 24/24). How is it mathematically possible to have 1/8th left for the man’s wife? The simplest and the most reasonable explanation is that the Qur’an was the work of a human.
THE REBUTTAL:
In response to the above claim one can say the above allegation is the example when one reads the Qur’an without making analysis on any other verse in the Qur’an as reference, they will misapprehend the concept, the requirement and the meaning of the inheritance law. In the Qur’an it is compulsory to write a will S2:180 Prescribed for you when death approaches any one of you if he leaves wealth is that he should make a bequest for the parents and near relatives according to what is acceptable, a duty upon the righteous.
There is the wisdom God making the total of the fraction given in the above family composition where the claim 27/24 exceeded the asset 24/24 to show an example for those who do not write a will surely it will be problematic for their close members when they make their claims according to the Qur’an when he died.
However, when there is no will written or the wrong portion was written in the will it can be amended S2:181-182 Then whoever alters the bequest after he has heard it the sin is only upon those who have altered it. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. But if one fears from the testator some error or sin and corrects that which is between them, there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
The Qur’an provides the clue where the surplus 3/24 can be deducted so that total claim will equal total estate available. The wisdom is stated in Surah 4:11 where the clue is written “….Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah; and Allah is All-knowing, Al-wise.”
From the clue of this wisdom, we are told we do not know who is nearest to us in benefit between the parents and the children. If we know we love our parents more we will surely reduce the portion 3/24 from our children and vice versa, but we do not know. And as the wife is not being mentioned it is only fair that the extra claim of 3/24 is best to be reduced equally from the parents and the children which will make the overall result from 27/24 back to equal 24/24.
The new formula should then read as follows: the extra 3/24 is equivalent to 6/48 and divide by two is 3/48 is to be deducted equally from the children and the parents.
The original fraction of each claimant:
Three daughters 32/48 -3/48 = 29/48
Parents 16/48 – 3/48 = 13/48
Wife remain same = 6/48
Total 48/48
Thus, those who wish to criticize the Qur’an should be aware that it is a puzzle rather than a miscalculation as Muslims who have knowledge of the Qur’an knows the wisdom of Allah and the solution to solve the puzzle with its clue being provided in the Qur’an. The main concept is to enforce a will to be written before death and if there is any partiality the Administrator is allowed to mediate with facts found in the Qur’an.
Pondering with Saifuddin's index 