12th October 2024
Question: My wife passed recently, and my query is regarding her Islamic will. She has two separate wills, one handwritten and signed by herself and witnesses and the other prepared by a specific Islamic organisation without her signature or the witnesses’ signatures. She stipulated in both wills for some gold and extra cash to be allocated to our son and daughter. Moreover, the handwritten will includes one-third of wealth for an Islamic organisation whilst the typed written will includes 3% to be allocated to an Islamic charity. Is the will made for our son and daughter valid or not? Which will must we follow?
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
We first pray to Allāh Almighty to forgive her sins, raise her ranks in paradise and to bestow upon the family members beautiful patience, Ameen. Concerning your enquiry, it must be fundamentally understood that to arbitrarily bequeath a portion of one’s inheritors is not valid because Allāh Almighty himself has assigned the shares for them. The Messenger of Allāh (saw) said, “Verily Allāh has given every rightful person their rightful share. There is no bequeathing for the inheritors.”[1]
Regarding the second part to your question, in the case of conflict, the handwritten will that she signed by herself with the witnesses’ signatures will be implemented and not the one without her signature.[2]
[Allãh Knows Best]
Written and researched by (Mufti) Abdul Waheed
Answer Attested by Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Sunnan Ibn Majah, Book of Wills, No. 2714
بَابُ لَا وَصِيَّةَ لِوَارِثٍ
حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ شَابُورَ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ بْنِ جَابِرٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: إِنِّي لَتَحْتَ نَاقَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسِيلُ عَلَيَّ لُعَابُهَا فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَعْطَى كُلَّ ذِي حَقٍّ حَقَّهُ، أَلَا لَا وَصِيَّةَ لِوَارِثٍ»
Durrul-Mukhtar, Kitāb al-Wasiyyah, vol 23, p. 477
(وَشَرَائِطُهَا كَوْنُ الْمُوصِي أَهْلًا لِلتَّمْلِيكِ) فَلَمْ تَجُزْ مِنْ صَغِيرٍ وَمَجْنُونٍ وَمُكَاتَبٍ إلَّا إذَا أَضَافَ لِعِتْقِهِ كَمَا سَيَجِيءُ (وَعَدَمُ اسْتِغْرَاقِهِ بِالدَّيْنِ) لِتَقَدُّمِهِ عَلَى الْوَصِيَّةِ كَمَا سَيَجِيءُ (وَ) كَوْنُ (الْمُوصَى لَهُ حَيًّا وَقْتَهَا) تَحْقِيقًا أَوْ تَقْدِيرًا لِيَشْمَلَ الْحَمْلَ الْمُوصَى لَهُ فَافْهَمْهُ فَإِنَّ بِهِ يَسْقُطُ إيرَادُ الشُّرُنْبُلَالِيُّ (وَ) كَوْنُهُ (غَيْرَ وَارِثٍ) وَقْتَ الْمَوْتِ
[2] Fatawa Hindiyyah, Kitāb al-Wasiyyah, vol 6, p. 192
الْبَابُ الْعَاشِرُ فِي الشَّهَادَةِ عَلَى الْوَصِيَّةِ
قَالَ: وَإِذَا شَهِدَ الشَّاهِدَانِ أَنَّ الْمَيِّتَ أَوْصَى إلَى هَذَا وَأَنَّهُ رَجَعَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَوْصَى إلَى هَذَا الْآخَرِ أَجَزْتُ شَهَادَتَهُمَا.