Definition & Evidence

**Linguistic Meaning:** Al-Wasiyyah means entrusting to another, or commanding. **Technical Definition:** A person's gift to another of property, debt, or benefit, to be owned by the beneficiary after the testator's death. It may also mean: commanding disposal after death - so it includes appointing someone to wash the body, lead the funeral prayer, or distribute property to a cause. **Evidence of Legality:** It is legislated by the Quran, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. **Quran:** Allah says: "Prescribed for you when death approaches any of you, if he leaves wealth, is that he make a bequest for parents and relatives according to what is proper - a duty upon the righteous" [Al-Baqarah: 180] **Sunnah:** Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "It is not right for a Muslim who has something to bequeath to spend two nights without his will written at his head" [Bukhari & Muslim] **Consensus:** The scholars have unanimously agreed on its permissibility.