Alberta has no central will registry.
The Canadian position
Where no government registry exists, wills are located through the deceased's lawyer, their banks, the provincial law society and private registries.
An executor with no will found must swear an affidavit of diligent search before the estate is treated as intestate.
The Islamic position
Registration does not make a will valid — it makes it locatable, which is the practical requirement behind keeping a wasiyyah ready.
A will that cannot be found produces a statutory distribution instead of the intended shares.
No school makes writing a will a duty in itself. The four are recorded as agreed that it is recommended, and obligatory only where a debt, a trust held for someone else, or an outstanding duty would otherwise be lost. That answer assumes the fixed shares apply by themselves — which they do not in Canada, where an estate left without a will is divided by provincial statute instead, and where AMJA has resolved that a Muslim living in the West must make a bequest.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-09-01. Full positions, evidence and sources — Is a Muslim obliged to write a will?.
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.
- Wills and Succession Act, SA 2010, c W-12.2 — Alberta King's Printer
- Locating wills and documents — Law Society of Ontario
- Wills Registry — Province of British Columbia
- Search the registers of wills and mandates — Chambre des notaires du Québec
- Multiple wills ontario private company shares probate avoidance — Treadstone Law
- Executor undisclosed assets found after distribution — Treadstone Law
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