Banks restrict access after death, but most permit a supervised search specifically to look for a will.
The Canadian position
The bank will usually require a statement of death and identification, and will inventory the contents. Removing anything other than the will generally requires a grant.
The Islamic position
A will locked in a box nobody can open is the practical failure a registry exists to reduce.
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
- Locating wills and documents — Law Society of Ontario
- Apply for probate of an estate — Government of Ontario
- Estate Administration Tax — Government of Ontario
- Estates Act, RSO 1990, c E.21 — Government of Ontario
- Ancillary probate foreign property ontario estate — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee sell before certificate of appointment ontario — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee removal interim replacement ontario — Treadstone Law
- When alter ego trust fails avoid probate ontario — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee indemnity insurance vs bond ontario — Treadstone Law
- Estate trustee authority before certificate ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law