Skip to content

Islamic will by state › District of Columbia

Islamic will (wasiyya) in District of Columbia

Write your wasiyya (will) by your own school — Sunni or Shia — and sign it so it stands in District of Columbia.

What your wasiyya (will) covers

  • What you owe to Allah — zakat, Hajj, missed prayers and fasts, kaffara, and khums for Shia members.
  • What you owe to people — debts and trusts (amanat).
  • Your heirs' shares under the Qur'an, by the Sunni schools or the Jaʿfari school, as a guide for your executor.
  • Up to one-third for the causes and people you choose, your executor, and guardians for young children.

Signing it so it holds up in District of Columbia

Each US state sets its own rules for signing a will. Most ask for your signature in front of two adult witnesses — safest if they inherit nothing under it — and some let you add a notarized "self-proving" statement so the witnesses needn't be found later. Read District of Columbia's will rules (FindLaw).

Your wasiyya (will) on Islamic Souls comes out as a PDF to print and sign, and you keep the signed copy on your private page so it's never lost.

Passing things on without probate in District of Columbia

  • Your home: District of Columbia allows a transfer-on-death deed, so a home can pass to the people you name without probate. DC allows transfer-on-death deeds under the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act (D.C. Code 19-604.01 and following).
  • Small estates: Estates of $80,000 or less can be handled as a small estate in the Probate Division (D.C. Code 20-351).

Sources: D.C. Code 20-351 - Small estates · D.C. Code 19-604.01 - Transfer on Death Act

Members can ask a licensed estate attorney to prepare a trust or deed and write the Islamic shares into it. More about avoiding probate.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change; an attorney in District of Columbia can confirm what applies to you. Checked 2026.