# Do Islamic Inheritance Laws Favor Men Over Women?

**Author:** Yaqeen Institute
**Series:** Does Islam Oppress Women? 5 Myths Animation Series
**Published:** 2019-12-19
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/RUJARcYjWoM
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/animation/do-islamic-inheritance-laws-favor-men-over-women
**Topics:** Jurisprudence (fiqh), Sharia

## Description
Do Islamic inheritance laws favor men over women? This misconception is derived from a Qur’anic verse that is often taken out of context. In this animation, we briefly outline Islamic inheritance laws.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** Does Islamic law oppress women? Myth number 4. Islamic inheritance laws favor men over women. This misconception is derived

**[0:20]** from a part of a verse in the Qur'an that begins with, for the male, inheritance is what is equal to the share of two females. Does that verse mean that men always receive more than women? The short answer is no. Islamic inheritance laws are based in a larger, complex

**[0:38]** system of Islamic finance grounded in financial responsibility. In this system, women inherit less than men in 4 situations, women inherit equal to men in 10 situations, and women inherit

**[0:54]** more than men in 16 situations. All instances where there is a discrepancy between male and female heirs is because of either a. there is a difference in proximity to the deceased, or b. there is more of a responsibility on one party to financially provide for the other.

**[1:16]** The objective of the distribution of wealth was to equalize all recipients amongst the deceased family, and to treat women with justice and dignity. So, Islam was actually the first religion to assign inheritance to a woman, and her share is determined by her responsibilities,

**[1:34]** not her gender. Stay tuned for the next myth in this series, what about polygamy?

## Other Episodes in "Does Islam Oppress Women? 5 Myths Animation Series"
- [Does Islam Call for Muslim Men to Oppress Women with Polygamy?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/does-islam-oppress-women-5-myths-animation-series/does-islam-call-for-muslim-men-to-oppress-women-with-polygamy.md)
- [Is a Woman's Testimony Worth Half of a Man's?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/does-islam-oppress-women-5-myths-animation-series/is-a-womans-testimony-worth-half-of-a-mans.md)
- [Can Muslim Women Divorce?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/does-islam-oppress-women-5-myths-animation-series/can-muslim-women-divorce-animation.md)
- [Does Islam Instruct Men to Beat Women?](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/does-islam-oppress-women-5-myths-animation-series/does-islam-instruct-men-to-beat-women-animation.md)