Given any number, its factors are numbers which can divide it and the solution is a whole number. For example: What are the factors of 10? To answer this, 10 is divided by all numbers between 1 and 10.
10 ÷ 1 = 10 10 ÷ 6 = 1.67
10 ÷ 2 = 5 10 ÷ 7 = 1.43
10 ÷ 3 = 3.33 10 ÷ 8 = 1.25
10 ÷ 4 = 2.5 10 ÷ 9 = 1.11
10 ÷ 5 = 2 10 ÷ 10 = 1
Therefore, the factors of 10 = 1, 2, 5 and 10
Using this approach, the factors of 6 will be 1, 2, 3 and 6; because if 6 is divided by 4 and 5, the answers will not be whole numbers. That is to say the common factors of 10 and 6 are 1 and 2. And the Highest Common Factor (HCF) of 10 and 6 is 2. But the following should be noted:
a) 1 is a factor of any number
b) All numbers are factors of themselves
c) The factor of a number CANNOT be greater than the number itself.
Another example. What is the HCF of 12 and 15?
Factors of 12 = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12
Factors of 15 = 1, 3, 5 and 15
Common factors of 12 and 15 = 1 and 3
HCF of 12 and 15 = 3
Quick links
- Introduction
- Male heirs
- Female heirs
- Non heirs
- Impediments to inheritance
- Exclusion
- Exclusion – Part 2
- Exclusion – Part 3
- Note on difference of opinion
- Inheritance of children
- Inheritance of spouses
- Inheritance of parents
- Inheritance of grandparents
- Inheritance of siblings
- Residuaries (‘Asabah)
- Partial exclusion
- Inheritance arithmetic (“inherithmetic”)
- Procedure of solving inheritance problems
- Levels of inheritance problems (Level one)
- Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)
- Level one – continued
- YOU ARE HERE: Highest Common Factor (HCF)
- Prime numbers
- Increment of base number (‘Awl)
- Level two – Part 1
- Level two – Part 2
- Level two – Part 3
- Level two – Part 4
- Level three
- Inheritance of grandfather along with siblings
- Inheritance of grandfather along with siblings in the presence of other heirs
- Special cases
- Summary of rules
- Further reading
- Solutions to exercises
Your Questions, Our Answers
We have received a number of emails from those who visited this website or downloaded and read INHERITANCE IN ISLAM. Almost all of them were questions on either aspects of inheritance not covered in the book or clarifications needed regarding specific cases. Hence, we thought it wise to reproduce the emails so that others may benefit as well. As always, we welcome suggestions, criticisms and of course, more questions!