Article 224 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 224 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثالث: الحجب والتعصيب والعول والرد
Residuary heirs in their own right are the male heirs by kinship except the maternal half-brother, and their lines are ranked: descendants, then ascendants, then siblings, then paternal relatives.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
العصبة بالنفس هم الوارثون من الرجال بالقرابة إلا الأخ لأم، ويكون ترتيب جهاتهم على النحو الآتي:
1- البنوة: وتشمل أبناء الميت، وأبناء ابنه وإن نزل.
2- الأبوة: وتشمل أب الميت، وجده لأب وإن علا.
3- الأخوة: وتشمل إخوة الميت الأشقاء، أو لأب، وبنيهم وإن نزلوا.
4- العمومة: وتشمل أعمام الميت لأبوين أو لأب، وأعمام أبيه وأعمام الجد لأب وإن علا أشقاءً أو لأب، وأبناء الأعمام أشقاء أو لأب وإن نزلوا.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 224 explained in plain English
This article defines the first type of residuary heirs, the residuary heirs in their own right, and sets out the order of their lines.
Who they are: residuary heirs in their own right are the male heirs by kinship, except for the maternal half-brother, who is not a residuary heir in his own right.
The order of their lines:
- Descendants: the deceased's sons, and his son's sons however far down.
- Ascendants: the deceased's father and his paternal grandfather however high.
- Siblings: the deceased's full brothers or paternal half-brothers, and their sons however far down.
- Paternal relatives: the deceased's paternal uncles, full or paternal, and his father's uncles, and the uncles of the paternal grandfather however high, full or paternal, and the sons of the uncles, full or paternal, however far down.
Note that the article does not mention in these lines kinship through the mother alone: the uncles and their sons mentioned are full or paternal, and the brothers mentioned are full or paternal.
This article comes after Article 223, which divides residuary heirs into three types: in their own right, through another, and together with another. It is followed by Article 225, which sets out the residuary heirs through another, such as the daughter with the son and the full sister with the full brother, where the inheritance is for the male to receive twice the share of a female.
To identify the residuary heir entitled in a particular estate, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Practical example
A man died in Buraydah leaving a son's son, a full paternal uncle and a maternal half-brother. The son's son is from the line of descendants and the full paternal uncle is from the line of paternal relatives, and both are residuary heirs in their own right. The maternal half-brother is not a residuary heir in his own right because Article 224 expressly excludes him.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 224 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Who are the residuary heirs in their own right?
They are the male heirs by kinship except the maternal half-brother.
What is the order of the lines of residuary heirs in their own right?
Descendants, then ascendants, then siblings, then paternal relatives.
Is the maternal half-brother a residuary heir?
No. The article excludes the maternal half-brother from the residuary heirs in their own right.
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ينتهي الفقد في أي من الحالتين الآتيتين: 1- إذا تحققت حياة المفقود أو وفاته. 2- إذا صدر حكم قضائي باعتبار المفقود متوفى.
- Article 166
The court rules that a missing person is deceased at an interested person's request if evidence of death exists; otherwise after 4 years from notification if his death is not likely, or one year from disappearance if it is likely.
تحكم المحكمة -بناءً على طلب من ذي مصلحة- بوفاة المفقود إذا قام الدليل على وفاته. وفيما عدا ذلك، على المحكمة ألا تحكم بوفاته إلا بعد مضي المدة المقررة بحسب الظرو
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يعد تاريخ صدور الحكم بوفاة المفقود تاريخاً لوفاته، ما لم يثبت تاريخ وفاته الحقيقي لاحقاً.
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يترتب على صدور الحكم باعتبار المفقود متوفى ثم ظهوره حيًّا، ما يأتي: 1- أن يرجع المفقود بالموجود عيناً من ماله على الورثة. 2- أن تعود زوجة المفقود إلى عصمته ما ل
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A will is carried out from the testator's estate after paying the costs of preparing the deceased for burial and settling his debts, subject to Article 190 of the Law.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به المادة (التسعون بعد المائة) من هذا النظام، تنفذ الوصية من تركة الموصي، بعد إخراج نفقات تجهيز الميت وأداء ديونه.
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The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.