asabah

Asabah refers to a category of heirs in Islamic inheritance law, known as Faraid. These heirs receive the residue of the estate after the fixed quota heirs, known as Dhawu al-Faraid, have taken their shares. The term "asabah" itself translates to "residuary" or "agnatic relative."

The inheritance of an asabah is determined by their relationship to the deceased through male lineage. Generally, male agnates inherit in order of proximity. This means a son inherits before a grandson, a father before a brother, and so on. If there are multiple asabah of the same degree of relationship, they share the residue according to specific rules, often proportionally based on their gender, with males typically receiving twice the share of a female.

If there are no Dhawu al-Faraid, the entire estate devolves upon the asabah. In the absence of any asabah, the estate would typically go to the state or be distributed through other recognized Islamic legal mechanisms. Understanding the hierarchy and rules of asabah is crucial for the accurate distribution of inherited wealth in Islamic jurisprudence.