The father is one of the closest heirs in Islamic inheritance, and Pakistani courts never leave him out of a Muslim estate. What changes is how he inherits - sometimes as a fixed sharer, sometimes as a residuary, and sometimes as both at once. This guide sets out the three situations clearly, backs each with a worked Faraid example, and shows you how the father's share sits alongside the mother, spouse and children. For an instant breakdown of any estate, try our inheritance calculator.
The father as a Quranic heir
Under the Sunni (Hanafi) system that most Pakistani Muslims follow, heirs fall into three classes: sharers (who take a fixed Quranic fraction), residuaries (who take whatever is left after the sharers), and distant kindred. The father is unusual because he can appear in both of the first two classes. The Quran fixes his sharer's portion at one-sixth in Surah An-Nisa (4:11), and classical Faraid then lets him mop up the residue when no male descendant stands in the way. As a primary heir, the father is never wholly excluded - unlike, say, a brother or an uncle, who can be blocked out entirely.
The three father situations
Everything turns on who else the deceased leaves behind - specifically, whether there is a male descendant, a female descendant, or no descendant. This single table captures the whole rule:
| Who else survives | Father inherits as | Father's share |
|---|---|---|
| A son or son's son (male descendant) | Sharer only | 1/6 fixed |
| Only daughter(s) / son's daughter, no male descendant | Sharer + residuary | 1/6 plus the residue |
| No descendant at all | Residuary | The entire residue |
Key rule: the father's fixed 1/6 is guaranteed whenever any child or grandchild survives - male or female. The residue is an extra he takes only when no male descendant is present to claim it.
Worked example 1 - father with a son
A man dies leaving an estate of PKR 12,000,000, survived by his father, mother, wife, one son and one daughter. Because a son exists, the father is capped at his fixed 1/6:
| Heir | Share | Amount (PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Wife | 1/8 (children present) | 1,500,000 |
| Mother | 1/6 (children present) | 2,000,000 |
| Father | 1/6 fixed | 2,000,000 |
| Son + Daughter (residue, 2:1) | Remaining 6,500,000 | 4,333,333 / 2,166,667 |
The father takes exactly 1/6 and nothing more; the son carries off the residue with his sister on the classic two-to-one basis.
Worked example 2 - father with only a daughter
Now the same man dies leaving PKR 6,000,000, survived by his father and one daughter (no son). Here the father takes his 1/6 and then also the residue, because there is no male descendant to claim it:
| Heir | Share | Amount (PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Daughter | 1/2 (single daughter) | 3,000,000 |
| Father (sharer) | 1/6 fixed | 1,000,000 |
| Father (residuary) | Residue | 2,000,000 |
| Father total | 1/6 + residue | 3,000,000 |
The father ends up with half the estate - his fixed 1/6 of PKR 1,000,000 plus the leftover PKR 2,000,000 after the daughter's half is paid.
Worked example 3 - father with no descendant
Finally, a man dies leaving PKR 6,000,000, survived by his father and mother only (no spouse, no children). The father now inherits purely as a residuary:
| Heir | Share | Amount (PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Mother | 1/3 (no descendant) | 2,000,000 |
| Father | Residue (2/3) | 4,000,000 |
With no child to fix his 1/6, the father simply takes everything left after the mother's Quranic third - here two-thirds of the estate.
Father versus mother
A common question is whether the two parents inherit equally. The answer is only sometimes:
| Situation | Father | Mother |
|---|---|---|
| Deceased leaves children | 1/6 | 1/6 |
| No descendant (parents only) | Residue (2/3) | 1/3 |
| Only daughters, no son | 1/6 + residue | 1/6 |
Where children exist the parents mirror each other at 1/6; without a male descendant the father pulls ahead through the residue. For the mother's side of the picture, see our mother's share guide.
The governing law in Pakistan
For Muslims, intestate succession is decided by Faraid under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1962, which applies the fixed Quranic shares to the estate. The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 adds the section 4 rule that grandchildren of a predeceased son or daughter inherit their parent's notional share. Once shares are settled, heirs usually obtain a succession certificate to collect debts and bank balances, and record the transfer through mutation (intiqal) in the land record. Disputes over an estate are litigated as partition or declaration suits - our inheritance and succession lawyers handle these end to end.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a father inherit in Pakistan?
A fixed 1/6 when the deceased leaves any child or grandchild; 1/6 plus the residue when only a daughter survives; and the whole residue when there is no descendant at all.
Does the father still get 1/6 if there is a grandson?
Yes. A son's son is a male descendant, so the father is limited to his fixed 1/6 and the grandson takes the residue.
Can a father ever be excluded from inheritance?
No. The father is a primary heir and always inherits - his share simply varies with who else survives.
Do father and mother inherit equally?
Only when children survive (1/6 each). Without a descendant the father takes the residue while the mother is capped at a fixed fraction.
How do I work out a specific estate?
Use our free inheritance calculator - enter the surviving heirs and it applies the Faraid shares for you.