About Us

Shariah Wills are Will writing consultants, specialised in the writing of Islamic Wills. We are certified in Wills and Probate Law applicable in England and Wales and are members of the Law Society.

Preface

It is our aim to encourage every UK resident Muslim to have an Islamic Will that complies with both the Islamic Law and the UK Wills regulations. This being to protect the estate of the testator and to ensure that the entitled inheritors receive their rights, in accordance with Islamic guidance.

To facilitate this, we provide convenient remote access to our consultants using online meeting platforms, or traditional phone calls (UK only). We also offer payments online by instalments, if needed to make matter easy for our clients.

As indicated on our logo, the S which stands for Shariah is completely within the box, meaning that our Wills are completely Shariah compliant, thereby fulfilling our Islamic duty. The W that stands for Wills, and is shown partly out of the box, recognises that there are parts of the Wills Regulations that agree with the Shariah, and parts that conflict with its requirements . The part of the W, within the box represents the parts of the UK Wills Regulations which are in agreement with the Shariah.

It is our duty to make sure that your personal requests, recorded in your Will, remain within the area where the the two legal systems overlap, ensuring that your Will is not nullified unintentionally or unknowingly. You can therefore rest assured that your Will, will remain valid and enforceable when it is most needed.

Our story

During a medium haul flight from Dubai to Jeddah international airport I had slipped into deep thought. Being a husband, father of six and grandfather of six, and a frequent traveller, this had been my 40th or so flight that year and it was only October. It was the usual early morning flight – on time and uneventful, with the usual faces that I had become semi-accustomed to over the last 10 months or so. No pleasantries, but just the gaze of familiarity. Travel used to be exciting, but the repeated queuing to ride the airport bus to the plane, steps up with luggage in hand, and boarding, to be confronted with the pre-take off announcement which you had heard so many times, you could deliver it with your eyes closed. The flight took off on time, and you either tried to catch up on some sleep or got the laptop out to catch up on emails before landing.

On one occasion, some high altitude turbulence gave that momentary roller coaster feeling. Enough to wake you from your slumber and keep you awake – expresso effect. It made you realise your vulnerability 60,000 feet above the earth, in the belly of a 20 tonne bird.

The reality is though, that death could come at any time, in bed, crossing the road, eating fish, in the mosque or the belly of a metal flying machine. We pray 5 times daily and hope that we are prepared with good deeds when our time comes. But when that time comes, have we made the necessary preparations so that our loved ones, left behind, can deal with the loose ends that we have left, without pulling their hair out.

The importance of a Will was all too apparent, not only as a tool for the disposal of my estate but as an aide memoir to the person who would have the responsibility of sorting out my affairs. I remembered when my mum died, without leaving a Will – it was a complete nightmare trying to get things sorted out and I would not wish that on anyone.

It was this single event that I would recognise as being the main driver behind Shariah Wills.

I was fortunate enough to have access to an Islamic Will template, but soon discovered that it was not written for the UK resident, compliant with the laws of England and Wales. I carried out further research of scholarly material, and used them all to collate an Islamic Will template. I then had it translated into Arabic by a professional translator, and with the help of an Arabic speaking friend, we had numerous sittings with the respected and recommended Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Ghalib Al Omari, who I lived close to in Dubai, and regularly attended his lessons. We read, reviewed and amended the Will template to ensure compliance with the Shariah. Once complete, it was then re-translated back into English and sent to a Muslim UK solicitor who specialised in Wills, for compliance with the law in England and Wales.

Following this, I completed a QLS certificated course achieving a distinction in Wills and Probate Law, applicable in England and Wales, thereby providing licence to advise in this field.

The Will template that is on offer from Shariah Wills, is therefore both Shariah and UK law compliant (England and Wales only). This is a critically important matter, as any conflict with either would prevent proper disposal of the estate in accordance with the Islamic texts, and may allow its nullification or at the least, leave it open to being challenged and nullified, if not compliant with law of the land.

It is a real privilege to have this available, and to have the opportunity to help all Muslims in fulfilling this important duty. It is our aim to ensure that every Muslim has a written and valid Will.

Abideen Grillo BEng(Hons), MSc, CEng