Question 1

What is a wasiyyah (Islamic will)?

Accepted Answer

A wasiyyah is a testamentary document rooted in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:180) that allows a Muslim to bequeath up to one-third (1/3) of their net estate to non-heirs or charitable causes (waqf, sadaqah jariyah, educational trusts). The remaining two-thirds are distributed according to fixed Quranic shares (fara’id) among classified heirs as prescribed in Surah An-Nisa (4:11–12). Wasiyat helps you create both components — the discretionary bequest and the complete inheritance schedule with full Quranic citations.

Question 2

Why can I only bequeath up to 1/3 of my estate?

Accepted Answer

The 1/3 cap originates from the hadith of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (Sahih al-Bukhari 2742), who asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about bequeathing his entire wealth. The response was: “One-third, and one-third is much.” This limit safeguards the Quranic rights of classified heirs (ashab al-furu’d) and prevents disinheritance of family members through excessive bequests. In the Ja’fari school, a bequest exceeding 1/3 is void unless all heirs unanimously consent after the testator’s death. This is enforced as an immutable hard constraint in Wasiyat — no user action can override it.

Question 3

What are the six doctrines supported?

Accepted Answer

Wasiyat supports all six major schools of Islamic jurisprudence: the four Sunni schools — Hanafi (predominant across India), Shafi’i (common in Kerala and coastal Karnataka), Maliki, and Hanbali; the Shia Ja’fari (Twelver) school followed by Shia communities in Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Mumbai; and Ahle Hadees / Salafi — based directly on Quran and authenticated Hadith without strict adherence to a single classical school, with distinct radd rules following the position of Ibn Abbas (RA). Each doctrine differs on critical rules: the Hanafi school applies awl (proportional reduction) when shares exceed 1.0; the Ja’fari school excludes certain agnatic relatives; the Ahle Hadees school excludes the spouse from radd. Our engine implements each school’s exact classical rules.

Question 4

Can I make a bequest to an heir?

Accepted Answer

No. This prohibition is based on the hadith: “There shall be no bequest for an heir” (Abu Dawud 2870, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2120). If a testator bequeaths to a classified heir (e.g., spouse, children, parents), the bequest is void unless all other heirs unanimously consent after the death (ijma’ al-fuqaha). This prevents circumventing the Quranic distribution scheme. Wasiyat enforces this as a hard constraint — the system will reject any bequest entry targeting a classified heir in your family tree.

Question 5

What is the difference between a nominee and an heir?

Accepted Answer

Under Indian law, a nominee is a custodian, not an owner. The Supreme Court of India clarified this in Sarbati Devi v. Usha Devi (1984) and more recently in cases involving insurance nominations under the Insurance Act, 1938. A nominee receives the asset upon the policyholder’s death solely as a trustee and must distribute it to the legal heirs. However, many Indian Muslim families mistakenly treat nominations as ownership transfers, leading to un-Islamic distribution. Wasiyat’s Nominee Education module explains this distinction to your family with specific references to applicable Indian legislation.

Question 6

What is hajb (blocking) in inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Hajb refers to the exclusion of certain heirs from inheritance due to the presence of closer relatives. There are two types: hajb bil-hirman (total exclusion, where an heir is completely blocked) and hajb bil-nuqsan (partial reduction, where an heir’s share is reduced). For example, a grandfather is blocked by the father in all Sunni schools, and brothers are blocked by the son. The Ja’fari school has a distinct class-based blocking system where heirs are grouped into three tiers, and a closer tier excludes all lower tiers entirely. Our 5-layer engine handles these rules automatically.

Question 7

How accurate are the inheritance calculations?

Accepted Answer

Our 5-layer calculation engine uses exact fraction arithmetic (BigInt) — not floating point — eliminating rounding errors entirely. Every calculation passes through five layers: heir identification, filtering and blocking (hajb), fixed share assignment (fara’id), residuary distribution (‘asabah), and adjustment (awl/radd). Results are validated: shares must sum to exactly 1.0, every share references a specific Quranic verse (e.g., Surah An-Nisa 4:11) or hadith, and results are checked against golden test vectors to 6 decimal places. The engine is purely deterministic with zero AI or probabilistic involvement.

Question 8

What is Awl and Radd?

Accepted Answer

Awl (proportional reduction) activates when Quranic fixed shares exceed 1.0 — a situation that historically arose during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s (RA) caliphate. For example, if a wife (1/8), two daughters (2/3), and a mother (1/6) inherit, the shares total 23/24, exceeding 1.0 after other obligations. All shares are proportionally scaled down. Radd (return) is the opposite: when fixed shares don’t exhaust the estate and no residuary (‘asabah) heirs exist, the surplus is redistributed proportionally to eligible fixed-share heirs. Different doctrines have important distinctions: the Hanafi school excludes the spouse from radd, while the Hanbali school includes them. The Ja’fari school never applies awl and handles excess differently through its tier system. Wasiyat applies the precise rule for your chosen doctrine.

Question 9

Can I see how other doctrines would handle my family?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The ORIS Doctrine Comparison is an educational tool that runs your family structure through all 6 calculation engines simultaneously and displays a side-by-side breakdown. You’ll see exactly how each heir’s share changes across schools — for example, a paternal grandmother may receive 1/6 under Hanafi rules but could be blocked entirely under Ja’fari rules. This is primarily useful for scholars comparing fiqhi outcomes or for the rare case where a family is exploring which madhab best represents their practice. Most families follow one school of thought for life and should simply select their madhab during setup.

Question 10

How does the engine handle the ‘Umariyyatayn’ (Cases of Umar)?

Accepted Answer

The Umariyyatayn refers to two specific cases where Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) ruled that the mother receives 1/3 of the remainder rather than 1/3 of the entire estate. This occurs when the heirs are: (1) husband, mother, and father; or (2) wife, mother, and father. Without this rule, the mother would receive more than the father, which contradicts the Quranic principle in 4:11 that the male receives double the female’s share. All Sunni schools follow Umar’s ruling, while the Ja’fari school does not — giving the mother the full 1/3. Our engine handles both approaches correctly based on your selected doctrine.

Question 11

What is a DIN (Document Identification Number)?

Accepted Answer

Every finalized document pack receives a unique DIN in the format WV/YYYY/STATE/NNNNN (e.g., WV/2026/KA/00142). This human-readable identifier makes it easy to reference and verify your documents. The DIN appears in the footer of every page across all 10 documents in your estate pack.

Question 12

How can I verify a document’s authenticity?

Accepted Answer

Visit the Verify page on our website (/verify). You can verify documents two ways: enter the DIN directly, or scan the QR code printed on each document using your phone camera. The system checks the SHA-256 hash to confirm the document has not been tampered with since generation.

Question 13

What are digital signatures and how do they work?

Accepted Answer

When you finalize your estate plan, you draw your signature on a digital canvas. This signature is encrypted using AES-256-GCM and stored securely. The encrypted signature is then embedded directly into your PDF documents. Witnesses and executors can also sign digitally through their respective portals.

Question 14

How does witness attestation work?

Accepted Answer

You can invite up to 2 witnesses by entering their name and email address. Each witness receives a secure link to a dedicated attestation portal where they can review the document summary, sign a legal declaration, and provide their digital signature. Their attestation is timestamped and their signature is embedded in the Will Declaration PDF.

Question 15

Are the generated documents legally valid in Indian courts?

Accepted Answer

Our documents are formatted to Indian court standards — Times-Roman font, 25mm margins, section numbering, seal placeholders, and jurisdiction clauses referencing the Indian Succession Act 1925 and Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1937. However, we recommend having your documents attested by a notary and reviewed by a qualified Islamic scholar for maximum legal strength.

Frequently Asked Questions

Islamic Inheritance Basics

Calculation Engine

Document Integrity & Verification

Security & Privacy

ORIS AI

Subscription & Billing

Legal & Compliance

Documents & Executor

Executor Portal

Family & Account

Still have questions?

ORIS

Frequently Asked Questions

Islamic Inheritance Basics

What is a wasiyyah (Islamic will)?

Why can I only bequeath up to 1/3 of my estate?

What are the six doctrines supported?

Can I make a bequest to an heir?

What is the difference between a nominee and an heir?

What is hajb (blocking) in inheritance?

Calculation Engine

How accurate are the inheritance calculations?

What is Awl and Radd?

Can I see how other doctrines would handle my family?

How does the engine handle the ‘Umariyyatayn’ (Cases of Umar)?

Document Integrity & Verification

What is a DIN (Document Identification Number)?

How can I verify a document’s authenticity?

What are digital signatures and how do they work?

How does witness attestation work?

Are the generated documents legally valid in Indian courts?

Security & Privacy

How is my data secured?

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Can my family access the vault if something happens to me?

Is the platform GDPR and Indian IT Act compliant?

ORIS AI

What is ORIS?

Does ORIS make the inheritance calculations?

Can I trust ORIS for religious guidance?

What happens if ORIS gives incorrect information?

Subscription & Billing

What are the pricing tiers?

Is there a free trial or refund policy?

What payment methods are accepted?

Can I switch between plans mid-subscription?

Legal & Compliance

Is a Wasiyat document legally valid in India?

Which Indian states are supported?

How do you handle the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act?

How does Indian joint property law interact with Islamic inheritance?

Documents & Executor

What documents does Wasiyat generate?

What is the Executor Playbook?

What is the Islamic priority order for settling an estate?

What documents are included in the estate pack?

Can witnesses and executors sign documents electronically?

Executor Portal

How does the executor portal work?

Can one executor serve across multiple estates?

What is identity verification?

Can I change my executor after appointing one?

Family & Account

Can I manage multiple families?

How do I add family members?

What if my family situation changes after I create a plan?

Still have questions?

ORIS