Sharia Will service based in Manchester, Sale and Chester
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Making a Will ensures your estate is dealt with the way you want, in line with your faith. Our Islamic Will solicitors help clients across Sale, Manchester and Chester put a Will in place that’s valid under English law and reflects Islamic inheritance principles as closely as the law allows.
Talk to one of our Islamic Will solicitors on 0330 111 3131 or via our online enquiry form.
What is an Islamic Will?
An Islamic Will, also called a Sharia Will, is a legal document valid under the Wills Act 1837 that sets out how your estate should be distributed after your death in a way that reflects Sharia inheritance principles, or Fara’id, as far as English law allows. It doesn’t replace the need for a properly signed and witnessed will, it’s simply a Will written with Islamic inheritance in mind from the start.
A nikah alone does not give automatic inheritance rights
If you married only in a religious ceremony, or nikah, without also registering it as a civil marriage, English law does not recognise you as legally married. This means you’re treated as cohabitants, not spouses, so you have no automatic right to inherit if your partner dies without a Will, and no automatic exemption from inheritance tax. A Sharia Will is often the only way to protect a partner in this position.
How we can help with your Islamic Will
Drafting your Islamic Will
An Islamic will needs the same legal formalities as any other, properly written, signed and witnessed, but built around your wishes and your faith from the outset. Fakhruddin Maimoon leads on Sharia-compliant wills within our Wills, Trusts and Probate team, bringing legal precision alongside a genuinely personal understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. He’s fluent in Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi, and is himself a trustee at his local mosque.
Fara’id shares and how they fit within English law
Fara’id is the system of Sharia inheritance that sets out fixed shares for family members, spouses, children, parents and others, depending on who survives you. English law doesn’t apply these shares automatically, which is why they need to be written into a valid will. We’ll talk through who your Fara’id heirs would be and draft your will so those wishes are clearly and legally expressed.
The one-third rule, and your imam or Sharia council
Many Islamic scholars hold that you can leave up to a third of your net estate as a wasiyya, or bequest, to people outside your fixed heirs, without their agreement; beyond that generally needs their consent. The religious side of that conversation is one for you and your imam or Sharia council, not us, but once you’ve settled it, we’ll turn it into a will that holds up under English law.
Choosing your executor
Your executor deals with the practical side of administering your estate, and for a Sharia will, that often means working through Fara’id calculations and the one-third rule alongside the usual probate process. You can appoint family members, a solicitor, or a combination, whatever gives you the most confidence it’ll be handled fairly.
Updating an existing will, or estates with international and business assets
Already have a will that doesn’t reflect your Islamic inheritance wishes, or your circumstances have moved on? We can review and update it rather than starting again. Where an estate involves property or family overseas, or a business interest and trusts, the considerations get more complex, and that’s where our wider Wills, Trusts and Probate team, and our Faith & Charities specialists, work alongside Fakhruddin to get the detail right.
What to expect when you make a Sharia Will
Every Islamic will follows roughly the same shape, though the detail is different for everyone:
- A first conversation, free and no obligation
We’ll talk through your family, your assets, and how you’d like your estate to reflect Sharia inheritance principles.
- Working out your Fara’id shares
We’ll set out who your heirs would be and what they’re entitled to, and talk through anything you’d like to leave beyond that under the one-third rule.
- Drafting your will
We turn those wishes into a document that’s watertight under English law, ready for you to check line by line before anything is signed.
- Signing, properly witnessed
Like any will, yours needs signing in the presence of two independent witnesses who aren’t beneficiaries, and we make sure that happens correctly.
- Keeping it under review
Fara’id shares can shift depending on who’s still living when you die, a parent, a child, so it’s worth revisiting your Islamic will after any major change in the family.
Why choose Slater Heelis as your Islamic Will solicitors
A specialist voice in Sharia-compliant Wills
Fakhruddin Maimoon, Associate Solicitor in our Wills, Trusts and Probate team, focuses specifically on Sharia-compliant Islamic wills, and was named Lawyer of the Year at the Insider North West Young Professionals Awards 2026. He’s an Affiliate Member of STEP and an accredited mediator, and combines that legal expertise with genuine cultural understanding, so your matter is handled by someone who gets both sides of it.
Genuine cultural and religious sensitivity
We know that an Islamic Will touches on faith, family and legacy in ways a standard will doesn’t, and we handle every matter with that in mind. Our process is designed to respect the requirements of your faith throughout, from Fara’id shares to the one-third rule, in conversations that stay private and straightforward, whatever your circumstances.
Support across the whole of Wills, Trusts and Probate
An Islamic will rarely stands alone, so our advice extends to the probate, trusts and inheritance tax planning that often sit alongside it, as well as Lasting Powers of Attorney for while you’re still here. That means you’re supported by one team who understands the full picture, rather than being passed between different firms as new issues come up.
Recognised excellence in Wills, Trusts and Probate
We’re recommended in The Times’ Best Law Firms guide, and recognised by The Legal 500 as one of the leading firms in the North West. Several of our Private Client partners are members of STEP and Solicitors for the Elderly, and with over 1,900 reviews and an average rating of 4.9/5 on ReviewSolicitors, our clients trust us enough to recommend us when their friends and family need help.
Over 250 years of excellence
We’ve been providing legal advice to families since 1773. With offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester, we’re rooted in the communities we serve. We also advise clients across the UK from offices in London, Liverpool, Leeds, York and Sheffield.
Call us on 0330 111 3131 or contact us via our online enquiry form to arrange a consultation with our Islamic Will solicitors.
Our offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester are open for face-to-face meetings, and we also work with clients across the UK, with meetings at other locations, such as London, Leeds and Liverpool, available by appointment.
Speak to our Islamic Will solicitors
