Yes. Forgiving a debt owed to you is effectively a gift, and where the debtor is a fixed heir it is treated as a bequest to an heir.
The Canadian position
Canadian law simply gives effect to the forgiveness clause.
Because it benefits a fixed heir, the other heirs' consent is needed religiously.
The Islamic position
The fixed shares apply to the net estate after funeral expenses, debts and any bequest capped at one third.
Where a Canadian mechanism has no classical counterpart, treat it as a contemporary question for a scholar rather than assuming an answer.
We have not yet researched whether the four Sunni schools differ on this specific point, so we are not going to tell you either way. If your own case turns on it, put it to a scholar of your school.
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
- Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
- Visa refused because officer doubts applicant will leave — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law