A published notice inviting anyone owed money by the deceased to come forward, protecting the executor from claims that arrive after distribution.
The Canadian position
Publication requirements vary by province. Once the period expires the executor can distribute without personal liability for unknown claims.
The Islamic position
Debts rank ahead of bequests and shares, so identifying them fully is part of discharging the trust properly.
All four schools work through the estate in the same order: the cost of preparing and burying the body, then debts, then bequests up to one third, and only what is left is divided by the fixed shares. The disputes are not about the sequence but about two rankings inside it.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-08-19. Full positions, evidence and sources — The order of payment out of an estate.
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
- Canadian Legal Information Institute — CanLII
- Executor personal liability ontario — Treadstone Law
- Executor personal liability ontario — Treadstone Law
- How long does executor have to distribute estate — Treadstone Law
- Executor personal liability in an insolvent estate ontario — Treadstone Law
- Wills & estates practice — Treadstone Law