Rarely. Generic templates are built for equal division among children and have no way of expressing conditional fractional shares, exclusion rules, or a fallback if a share fails.
The Canadian position
A template will can be legally valid if properly signed and witnessed. Validity is not the problem. The problem is that the wording usually will not say what a faraid distribution requires.
The commonest template failures are bad witnessing, a missing residue clause, and vague wording that later needs a court application to interpret.
The Islamic position
Faraid shares are conditional on who survives. A daughter's share differs depending on whether a son survives; a mother's share differs depending on whether there are siblings. A template has no mechanism for that.
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.
Directing an executor to 'distribute according to Islamic law' without stating the shares. That is the single most expensive sentence you can put in a Canadian will — it usually ends in a court application to determine what it means.
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
- Locating wills and documents — Law Society of Ontario
- Do you need a will ontario — Treadstone Law
- How many witnesses does a will need ontario — Treadstone Law
- Spousal election equalization vs will ontario — Treadstone Law
- Separation effect on will beneficiary designations ontario — Treadstone Law
- Can common law partner inherit without a will ontario — Treadstone Law
- Beneficiary contests will during pending sale ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law