Yes, but probate will require a certified translation, adding cost and delay — and translation errors become interpretation disputes.
The Canadian position
Courts accept wills in any language with proper translation.
Drafting in English with the Arabic terms explained is usually cleaner.
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.
The four Sunni schools are not recorded as differing materially on this point in the sources reviewed. Where your own case turns on it, put it to a scholar of your school.
General information, not legal or religious advice. Inheritance depends entirely on the exact family circumstances. Confirm the Canadian position with a lawyer in your province and any religious ruling with a qualified scholar.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to one of the references below. Legislation and dollar thresholds change — verify against the primary source before relying on any figure.
- Research Papers — Cambridge Muslim College
- Research — Cambridge Muslim College
- Academics — Islamic law and theology curriculum — Zaytuna College
- Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
- Succession Law Reform Act, RSO 1990, c S.26 — Government of Ontario
- Administering estates — Government of Ontario
- What evidence do you need to challenge a will ontario — Treadstone Law
- Lost will presumption of revocation ontario — Treadstone Law
- Risks diy online will kit ontario — Treadstone Law
- Shareholders agreement vs will conflicts ontario — Treadstone Law
- What happens to pets if owner dies without will ontario — Treadstone Law
- How to revoke poa property ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law