Clear answers to the questions families ask most — written for Sunni and Shia Muslims living in the United States.
A step-by-step guide to writing an Islamic will (wasiyya) for Sunni and Shia Muslims in the US: debts, what you owe Allah, executor, guardian, the one-third, funeral wishes and signing with witnesses.
Read the guide →How Islamic inheritance works for Sunni and Shia Muslims: the shares of spouses, children and parents from Surat al-Nisa, who inherits the rest, the main differences between the schools, and a worked example.
Read the guide →A calm checklist for families when a Muslim passes away in the US: who to call, ghusl and kafan, the janaza prayer, a quick burial, the death certificate, and what to do in the days after.
Read the guide →The one-third bequest in Islamic wills: why it is limited to a third, who can receive it in Sunni and Shia law, giving to heirs, orphaned grandchildren and charity, and sadaqa jariya ideas.
Read the guide →How unpaid zakat, khums, an obligatory Hajj, missed prayers and fasts and kaffara are handled in an Islamic will, with the main differences between the Sunni schools and Shia rulings.
Read the guide →Will US courts honor an Islamic will (wasiyya)? What makes a will valid in most states, how to write Islamic shares into it, spousal elective share and community property, and assets that pass outside the will.
Read the guide →These guides explain general rulings by school. They are not a fatwa and not legal advice: for your own situation, ask your scholar or marjaʿ, and a licensed attorney in your state.