You can, but you should not rely on it. Wills are frequently not read until after burial, and Islamic burial happens within a day.
The Canadian position
Funeral directions in a will are generally not binding on the executor in most provinces, and practically they arrive too late to be acted on.
The Islamic position
Ghusl, kafan, salat al-janazah and prompt burial all happen within roughly twenty-four hours. A document opened a week later cannot govern them.
Hastening the burial is recommended, not obligatory, and no school lays down a 24-hour rule — that figure is a community convention, not a fiqh ruling. What the schools differ on is how serious a delay is: the Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools call it disliked, the Shafi’i school forbidden. All four reverse the rule where death is not yet certain, and we found no school addressing a coroner’s investigation or a burial permit — a delay forced by Canadian law has no classical ruling of its own.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-09-01. Full positions, evidence and sources — How soon must a Muslim be buried?.
Related madhhab issue: Ghusl, kafan and salat al-janazah — who performs them?.
Making an Islamic will in Canada — province by province, and what makes one valid where you live →
What to do about it
- Write burial wishes on a separate one-page document.
- Give copies to your spouse, your executor and your local masjid's funeral coordinator.
- Record whether you have a prepaid arrangement or a cemetery plot.
- Keep the will for the property; keep this for the first day.
This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position. Anything under “further reading” is related material, not a source for what is stated here.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 55: Wills and Testaments (Wasaya) — Sunnah.com
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Wills — Sunnah.com
- What to do when someone dies — Government of Ontario
- Funeral wishes in will legally binding ontario — Treadstone Law
- Cremation vs burial instructions executor follow ontario — Treadstone Law
- Executor refuses honour funeral wishes remedy ontario — Treadstone Law
- Are funeral expenses paid first insolvent estate ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law