Q. I have five daughters and one son, and I want to distribute my money among them in accordance with Islam. People have given me different answers about the shares I give to each. Some say one-sixth to a daughter and some say one-third. Please advise.

(Name and address withheld)

A. I am not clear why do you want to make this distribution. Is it a gift you want to give to your children, or do you want to distribute your inheritance now, or is it a will you want to write? Each of these situations gives a different outcome.

Suppose you have 100,000 riyals, or 100,000 of the currency of your country, and you want to divide it among your children as a gift. You have to make your gifts in equal amounts, with no distinction between son and daughter. All take equally. This is because children have the same rights of upbringing and education. Parents must not favor any child of theirs over others, for any reason. When a child has special needs, as in the case of a child suffering physical or mental disability, the parents must provide these in accordance with their means and in a way that maintains fairness between children.

It is wrong to divide your money in accordance with the rules of inheritance while you are still alive. This is because you do not know who of your children will be alive on the day when you die. We should always leave the inheritance to be determined by God’s law, as He intended it. On the other hand, if you live in a non-Muslim country and you need to draw a will in order to ensure that your children receive their shares in accordance with the Islamic law, you can do that, specifying percentages, rather than exact figures.

Life in Heaven

Q. I cannot imagine what it is like in heaven, with men having these companions called the Hoor. What about women? Do they have similar male companions? Will a woman be married in heaven to her husband whom she married in this life?

M. Ahmad

A. No one can imagine what life is like in heaven. The descriptions we read in the Qur’an or those given to us by the Prophet are drawn on the lines of what is familiar to us in this present world. Heaven is a different world altogether. Hence the Prophet says: “It contains what no eye has ever seen, what no ear has ever heard of, and what no mind has ever imagined.” What are the Hoor? They are companions whose company we will enjoy. This applies to both men and women. Are these spouses, like our wives and husbands? We do not know exactly. What sort of marriage will there be in heaven? We know that it is a very happy one, but such happiness does not come about through sex, as we know it in our world, at least in the aspect of procreation. Will we be married to our wives and husbands we have in this life? The Prophet says: “A human being is resurrected with the ones he or she loves.” We often pray that our spouses should be our spouses in heaven. However, we should not give too much thought to the details of life in heaven, because we cannot reach any definite answers. All we need to know is that life there is one of bliss and pure, perpetual happiness. This is enough for us to know.