A will written entirely in the testator's own handwriting and signed, with no witnesses.
In Islamic law
Islamic law does not prescribe a form for a wasiyyah — testimony was the classical mode. The concern is evidentiary, and it matches the Canadian one: an unwitnessed document is harder to prove.
In Canadian law
Valid in Ontario and most common-law provinces, but not in British Columbia, where witnessing requirements apply to all wills. Holograph wills are cheap and immediate but are disproportionately the ones that get lost, misread, or challenged.
No significant difference between the four Sunni schools is recorded on this point in the sources reviewed. Where a specific case turns on it, ask a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
Canadian legal detail
Treadstone Law, an Ontario firm with a wills and estates practice, covers the Canadian side of this in more depth:
- Does ontario recognize foreign will
- Contesting will ontario grounds
- Family farm corporation succession ontario will
This entry is general information, not legal or religious advice. Inheritance turns on the exact family circumstances. Confirm Canadian law with a lawyer in your province, and any religious ruling with a qualified scholar.