Arrange the janazah, get multiple copies of the statement of death, locate the original will, and do not distribute or dispose of anything.
The Canadian position
The funeral director issues a statement of death immediately; the provincial death certificate follows and is what institutions require.
Accounts are typically frozen on notice of death, though funeral expenses can usually be released.
The Islamic position
Burial comes first and quickly. Administration can wait a day; the janazah cannot.
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.
What to do about it
- Call a funeral home experienced with Muslim burial.
- Notify the masjid.
- Get several copies of the statement of death.
- Find the original will before anything is cleared out.
- Do not give anything away, however small.
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
- What to do when someone dies — Government 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
- Matrimonial home after death of spouse — Treadstone Law
- Accessing cra account for a deceased person ontario — Treadstone Law
- Rrsp contribution deceased persons final return canada — Treadstone Law
- Estate reporting rental income after death ontario — Treadstone Law
- Cra reassessment estate deceased taxpayer — Treadstone Law
- Notifying institutions government after death ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law