The inheritance law in Islam and in Christianity:
Many times I debate with Christian and non Muslim folks, they bring the inheritance law in Islam as an unjust law to women. According to Islam, the son inherits double the daughter, which means that: One son gets what two daughters get. It is quite unfortunate that Islam is the most misunderstood religion in the world, and the inheritance law in Islam is just one little example of many that needs to be clarified so people would realize the real wisdom and justice in Islam and start appreciating it and respecting it more.
My dear Muslim brother or sister, or my dear fellow Christian friend, according to Islam, it is my responsibility as a man to provide the financial source to my wife, kids, parents (when they get old), and my sisters (if they become widows). And if I refuse to support my widow sister for instance, then if she decides to take me to court and sue me, and prove that I make enough money to be able to support my wife, kids and my widow sister, then the court will force me to pay her money every month to support her. This law in Islam is called the law of "Nafaqa".
The woman according to islam does not have to provide a single dollar, nor her husband has the right to ask her or force her to use her money to support her husband and kids. In fact, just to show you how fair and respectful Islam is to women, a woman has the right to ask her husband for money for breast feeding her their child.
Furthermore, according to the Islamic laws, the husband does not have the right to force his wife to work if she doesn't want to. It is the man's primary responsibility to support his family financially, and not the woman. Also, in Islam, the wife has all the right to ask her husband to pay for her education if she wishes to go to school. Women in Islam have the right to be educated, and it is their parents' responsibilities (if the women are single), or their husband's responsibility to pay for their education.
Inheritance in the Bible:
Let us look at "If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. (Numbers 27:8)"
So in other words, women (daughters, sisters and mothers) don't inherit anything if a man (son) is present.
The following was sent to me by brother Yishan Jufu; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him:
Female inheritance
One of the most important differences between the Quran and the Bible is their attitude towards female inheritance of the property of a deceased relative. According to Numbers 27:1-11, widows and sisters don't inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had no sons. Otherwise the sons receive the entire inheritance. Among the pagan Arabs before Islam, inheritance rights were confined exclusively to the male relatives. The Quran abolished all these unjust customs and gave all the female relatives their just share (4:7,11,12,176).
(c) http://www.warwick.ac.uk/~suaaf/articles/JuChIsWoman.html
So is Islam fair then?
It is quite obvious that Islam by far honors women in inheritance more than the Bible does. The Bible doesn't even regard the women's existence in inheritance if a son is present. The son takes all in the Bible.
In Islam, on the other hand, the daughter gets half of what the son gets, because under the law of "Nafaqa", the son is responsible to support his (1) Wife and Kids; (2) Old Parents; (3) Widowed Sisters. In Islam, the wife doesn't have to provide any financial support to her family. Only the man does. So, it is very fair for the man to get equivalent to two women of inheritance in Islam.
Wouldn't you agree with me that if it is the man's responsibility to support his parents (when they get old), wife, kids, and widow sisters, then it makes perfect sense for the man to get more money than the woman in inheritance?
Back to Women in Islam V.S. Christianity.