The alternate named in the will takes over. If no alternate is named, the court appoints an administrator.
The Canadian position
Always name at least one alternate, and ideally two.
A court-appointed administrator may not be who you would have chosen.
The Islamic position
Choosing a capable wasi is part of discharging the responsibility properly.
An unnamed alternate is an avoidable gap.
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.
- 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
- Administering estates — Government of Ontario
- Who can be named executor ontario will — Treadstone Law
- Executor vs administrator vs estate trustee ontario — Treadstone Law
- Removing a court appointed guardian ontario — Treadstone Law
- Naming an alternate executor ontario will — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law