Yes, and it is extremely common — a spouse or adult child usually serves. What they must not do is witness the will.
The Canadian position
A beneficiary or their spouse witnessing the will can void the gift to that person, even though the will itself remains valid.
An executor who is also a beneficiary faces potential conflict-of-interest allegations, which careful accounting and transparency largely defuse.
The Islamic position
A wasi may be an heir. The requirement is trustworthiness and capability, not disinterest.
All four schools want the same qualities in a wasi — adulthood and legal capacity, Islam, integrity and the ability to do the job. They differ on what failing one of them does. Three schools treat them as conditions of validity, so an appointment that fails one is void. The Hanafi school treats the appointment as valid and puts the remedy in the judge’s hands.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-08-19. Full positions, evidence and sources — Who may be appointed wasi (executor and guardian).
Making an Islamic will in Canada — province by province, and what makes one valid where you live →
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.
- Succession Law Reform Act, RSO 1990, c S.26 — Government of Ontario
- Administering estates — Government of Ontario
- Locating wills and documents — Law Society of Ontario
- Executor conflict of interest ontario — Treadstone Law
- Co executor conflict of interest recusal ontario — Treadstone Law
- Executor self dealing conflict of interest ontario — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee conflict of interest ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law