The Virtue and Rulings of the Will (Al-Waṣiyyah)

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ إِن تَرَكَ خَيْرًا الْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۖ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ

On the will being prescribed, before death, for parents and near relatives, in a fair manner — a duty upon the God-conscious.

فَمَن بَدَّلَهُ بَعْدَ مَا سَمِعَهُ فَإِنَّمَا إِثْمُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يُبَدِّلُونَهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

On the grave responsibility of altering a will after having heard it.

فَمَنْ خَافَ مِن مُّوصٍ جَنَفًا أَوْ إِثْمًا فَأَصْلَحَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

On reconciling in good faith where a testator's bias or wrongdoing is feared.

مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصِي بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ

Part of a longer verse detailing the fixed inheritance shares; this phrase notes that any bequest and any debt are settled first. This is a fragment of a detailed inheritance passage — presented here only to show the will's place alongside debt-settlement, never as a standalone rule that the will takes priority over all estate rights without qualification.

مِن بَعْدِ وَصِيَّةٍ يُوصَىٰ بِهَا أَوْ دَيْنٍ غَيْرَ مُضَارٍّ

The same principle repeated with an explicit qualifier — "ghayra muḍārr" (without causing harm) — making clear a will must never be used as a means to harm the rightful heirs.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا شَهَادَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ

On the requirement of upright witnesses to a will at the time it is made.

وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

Ibrahim and Ya'qub (peace be upon them) enjoined their sons to hold fast to the faith until death — a will in its broadest, faith-centered sense, not only a financial instruction.

«مَا حَقُّ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ لَهُ شَيْءٌ يُوصِي فِيهِ، يَبِيتُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ إِلَّا وَوَصِيَّتُهُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ عِنْدَهُ»

It is not right for a Muslim who has something to bequeath to let two nights pass without having his will written down with him.

«مَا مَرَّتْ عَلَيَّ لَيْلَةٌ مُنْذُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا وَعِنْدِي وَصِيَّتِي»

Ibn 'Umar's own report of his personal practice after hearing this from the Prophet ﷺ — presented here explicitly as a companion's statement about himself, not as a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.

«الثُّلُثُ، وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ، إِنَّكَ أَنْ تَذَرَ وَرَثَتَكَ أَغْنِيَاءَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ تَذَرَهُمْ عَالَةً يَتَكَفَّفُونَ النَّاسَ، وَإِنَّكَ لَنْ تُنْفِقَ نَفَقَةً تَبْتَغِي بِهَا وَجْهَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا أُجِرْتَ بِهَا»

The Prophet ﷺ permitted Sa'd to bequeath up to a third, noting a third is already much — leaving one's heirs well-off is better than leaving them destitute, and any spending seeking Allah's pleasure is rewarded.

«لَوْ غَضَّ النَّاسُ إِلَى الرُّبُعِ، فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: الثُّلُثُ، وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ»

Ibn 'Abbas's own view that reducing to a quarter would be preferable, citing the Prophet's ﷺ own words — presented as the companion's commentary, not a separate ruling that lowers the ceiling to a quarter.

«أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ، تَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ وَتَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى، وَلَا تُمْهِلْ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الْحُلْقُومَ قُلْتَ: لِفُلَانٍ كَذَا، وَلِفُلَانٍ كَذَا»

On the greater virtue of giving in charity while healthy and desirous of wealth, rather than delaying until the moment of death.

«أَوْصَى بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ»

On being asked whether the Prophet ﷺ left a specific written will, the companion answered that he enjoined the Book of Allah — this concerns the Prophet's ﷺ own will specifically, not a general ruling covering every detail of a financial will.