Maintenance — the obligation to financially support dependants.
In Islamic law
A husband's obligation to maintain his wife and children, and in some circumstances parents and other relatives. Any arrears owing at death are a debt of the estate.
In Canadian law
Overlaps with dependant support claims, which allow a court to order provision from an estate for someone the deceased was supporting.
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:
- Dependant support blended family multiple claimants priority ontario
- Capacity to marry vs capacity to make a will ontario
- Poa personal care incapacity already occurred ontario
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.