Advice on writing a will
Question
I am a 22-year-old female. I have a sister, two brothers, and al-Ḥamdulillāh both my parents are alive and well. I want to write my will but not sure how my wealth would be divided. Please could I have some assistance.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
Answer
The will should contain a full list of a person’s assets and should stipulate that the estate must be divided in accordance with Islamic law to the heirs who are alive. The shares of the heirs depend on who is alive at the point of demise. If you pass away before your siblings and parents and you do not leave behind a husband or children, then your father would receive 5/6th and your mother would receive 1/6th. Your siblings would not receive anything. This would change if your father passes away before you and also if you get married. Therefore, if you wish to specify the amounts in the will, you can do so based on the above, however you must specify that this is based on you passing away before your parents and that Islamic law will supersede the shares written in the will, in the event that an heir passes away before you or there is a new heir and the will is not updated.
Allah knows best
Yusuf Shabbir
22 Jumādā al-Thāniyah 1445 / 5 January 2024
Approved by: Mufti Shabbir Ahmed and Mufti Muhammad Tahir
