Q. According to the law of inheritance, the male child is given twice than the female. “Allah commands you regarding your children. For the male a share equivalent to that of two females.” [Quran 4:11] Can you explain the reason for this please?
A. There are many possible reasons for this. One is that the male becomes a breadwinner of a family, while the female is provided for by a husband. In this case, the female is not required to provide expenses for others, (that is for her husband, children or parents (who may be alive). It is the male who must wholly and solely shoulder the full responsibility to provide for a wife, children and the parents who are in a needy state. Hence, by allotting more inheritance to the male, it helps him to fulfill his responsibility which Allah has placed upon him. A female however, has no financial obligation to anyone. If she is unmarried then a male (who is her father provides for her) and when she becomes married, the male (who is her husband) provides for her. Financial obligation is thus, upon the male.
It is also seen that in the case of the death of a father, it is normally a son (male) who assumes the responsibility of being the breadwinner in the home. He will now be required to provide for his mother (who may be alive), his sisters and younger brothers. Thus, the amount that he (the son) gets in the inheritance helps him to fulfill this responsibility.
There are other reasons which the scholars have written regarding this. As Muslims, it is sufficient to know that this law is based upon Allah’s perfect wisdom and understanding.
And Allah knows best.
Mufti Waseem Khan