Radd is the return of surplus to fixed-share heirs where no residuary heir exists.
The Canadian position
No bayt al-mal operates in Canada, which is why later scholars in both schools generally permit radd here.
Canadian law gives effect to whatever a valid will says, so an Islamic concept takes effect here through the drafting rather than automatically.
The Islamic position
The Hanafi and Hanbali schools apply it; the classical Maliki and Shafi'i position sends the surplus to the treasury.
Confirm the position for your own family and school with a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
The Hanafi and Hanbali schools return the surplus to the fixed-share heirs in proportion to their shares. The classical Maliki and Shafi’i position sends it to the public treasury instead — but both schools treat that as conditional on there being a treasury worth the name, which in Canada there is not.
All four Sunni schools researched and sourced. Reviewed 2026-08-19. Full positions, evidence and sources — Radd — the return of a surplus to the fixed-share heirs.
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.
- Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 85: Laws of Inheritance (Faraid) — Sunnah.com
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Inheritance — Sunnah.com
- Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill