HalalWallet (halalwallet.co.uk) explains how Islamic inheritance works in the UK: why the intestacy rules of England and Wales ignore faraid, how a valid will makes Quranic shares legally binding, inheritance tax planning within a faraid-compliant structure, and Islamic will services compared from IFG Wills (98 GBP), Wahed Wills (125 GBP), and Farani Taylor Solicitors (250 GBP plus VAT).
Islamic Wills & Inheritance in the UK
Without a valid will, UK intestacy rules distribute your estate their way, not faraid's. Learn what a will fixes, what it costs, and how probate actually works.
Reviewed quarterly and updated when legal or procedural details change.
How Inheritance Works for UK Muslims
Six things every family should understand before anything happens
Intestacy Ignores Faraid
Die without a valid will in England and Wales and the intestacy rules distribute your estate by their own formula, not Quranic shares. A will is the only way to make faraid legally binding.
A Will Makes Faraid Binding
English law gives you testamentary freedom, so a properly drafted Islamic will can direct your entire estate according to faraid, including the wasiyya third for charity or non-heirs.
Services From 98 GBP
IFG Wills drafts online Islamic wills from 98 GBP, Wahed Wills from 125 GBP, and Farani Taylor's solicitors from 250 GBP plus VAT, with trust-based options for estates above the 325,000 GBP inheritance tax threshold.
Guardianship Wishes
A will is the legal place to name guardians for minor children. Without one, the family court decides with no record of your wishes.
Inheritance Tax Planning
Estates above the 325,000 GBP nil-rate band can face 40% inheritance tax. Trust-based Islamic wills (IFG at 348 GBP, Wahed from 900 GBP, Farani Taylor's Pro tier) address IHT within a faraid-compliant structure.
Scotland and NI Differ
The will services in our dataset cover England and Wales. Scotland's legal rights regime and Northern Ireland's separate rules affect how faraid can be implemented; take jurisdiction-specific advice there.
Faraid: The Fixed Shares
The Quran prescribes specific inheritance shares for designated heirs: spouse, children, parents, and in some cases siblings each receive fixed fractions of the estate. In the UK these rules carry no legal force of their own. English law applies its intestacy formula to anyone who dies without a valid will, and that formula bears no resemblance to faraid: a surviving spouse takes most or all of the estate, and a spouse from an Islamic-only marriage that was never civilly registered may be treated as not married at all.
Under faraid, distribution happens after three prior claims are settled: funeral expenses, outstanding debts, and any valid wasiyya (up to one-third). What remains is divided among legal heirs: a son receives twice a daughter's share, a widow receives one-eighth when there are children (one-quarter when there are none), and parents receive one-sixth each when the deceased leaves children. Real cases get complicated quickly when heirs predecease or multiple classes of heirs exist, which is why the UK Islamic will services calculate the shares from your actual family circumstances rather than from summaries like this one.
The practical conclusion is simple: because English law respects testamentary freedom, a valid will directing distribution per faraid makes those shares legally enforceable. Without one, they are simply not applied.
Your Islamic Will: What It Does
Faraid shares plus the wasiyya third
A UK Islamic will directs your estate per faraid and lets you bequeath up to one-third to charity or to people who are not already heirs: a needy relative outside the faraid list, a mosque, a school. The services in our comparison calculate the fixed shares from your family circumstances: IFG Wills from 98 GBP, Wahed Wills from 125 GBP, and Farani Taylor's solicitor-drafted wills from 250 GBP plus VAT.
Guardianship and executors
A will is the legal instrument for naming guardians for minor children and executors to administer your estate. Without one, the family court decides guardianship with no record of your wishes, and the intestacy rules decide who administers the estate.
Inheritance tax and ownership structure
Estates above the 325,000 GBP nil-rate band can face 40% inheritance tax, and faraid's deliberate spread of assets beyond the spouse reduces the conventional spouse exemption. The trust-based wills (IFG at 348 GBP, Wahed from 900 GBP, Farani Taylor's Pro tier at 350 GBP plus VAT) structure around this. Check how your home is owned too: joint tenancy passes property to the survivor outside the will and can defeat faraid unless severed.
Probate in Practice
When someone dies in England and Wales, banks freeze the deceased's sole accounts until the executors produce legal authority to collect. With a will, that authority is a grant of probate issued to the named executors. Without one, an administrator must obtain letters of administration and distribute per the intestacy rules, not faraid.
Executors value the estate, report and pay any inheritance tax due to HMRC, apply for probate, settle debts, and then distribute according to the will. A clear Islamic will with named executors and an asset inventory makes this dramatically faster and cheaper. Several services help here: Farani Taylor includes free will storage, and IFG's 10 GBP a year subscription keeps the will amended as your circumstances change.
Practical preparation matters more than paperwork sophistication: tell your spouse and executors where the will and key documents are, keep a simple asset list updated, review the will after marriages, births, and property purchases (marriage generally revokes an earlier will), and check how jointly owned property is held. Lifetime gifts should be documented, and gifts within seven years of death can still count for inheritance tax.
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See yoursIslamic Wills by Nation
Will services cover England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own succession law
Frequently Asked Questions
Guides & Resources
Islamic Will Guide →
What a UK Islamic will does, the one-third rule, witnesses, and when to involve a solicitor.
Islamic Finance Glossary →
Understand key terms like Faraid, Wasiyya, Hiba, and Succession Certificate.
Related Reading
Do You Need an Islamic Will in the UK? Yes, and Here's Why →
Sharia Pensions: What Happens to Pension Death Benefits →
Zakat on Property: Plots, Rentals, and Property for Resale →
Faraid, Wasiyya, and Hiba: The Key Terms Explained →
Explore Other Categories
Zakat & Islamic Finance Resources
Understanding your Zakat obligations on estates and more.
Quick Answer
UK Muslims need a valid will for Islamic inheritance to apply. Without one, the intestacy rules of England and Wales distribute the estate by statutory formula, not faraid, and a spouse from an unregistered Islamic-only marriage may receive nothing. Because English law respects testamentary freedom, a properly drafted Islamic will makes faraid legally binding. Services compared: IFG Wills from 98 GBP, Wahed Wills from 125 GBP, and Farani Taylor Solicitors from 250 GBP plus VAT, with trust-based options for estates above the 325,000 GBP inheritance tax threshold.
Key Takeaways
- Intestacy ignores faraid; a valid will is the only way to make Islamic shares legally binding in England and Wales.
- Online Islamic wills cost 98 to 125 GBP and complete in about 20 minutes; solicitor-drafted wills start at 250 GBP plus VAT.
- The wasiyya covers at most one-third of the estate and cannot alter heirs' fixed faraid shares.
- Estates above 325,000 GBP can face 40% inheritance tax; trust-based Islamic wills address IHT within a faraid-compliant structure.
- Joint tenancy passes property to the survivor outside the will; sever it if faraid compliance matters.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland have different succession law; take jurisdiction-specific advice there.
Sources and review process
This page is reviewed against HalalWallet editorial standards and source documentation.
Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 2026-03-06
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