animals for sacrifice, for they will be your mounts across the Bridge.” (1) That is, acquire fine sacrificial animals, for they will be your mounts. So he says: “I would like to have a mount on the Day of Resurrection; therefore, I bequeath [money] for a sacrifice.” But this is not what the scholars intended.

The most important thing is that he make a will concerning any obligations he owes, whether rights due to Allah or rights due to other people. He may owe zakah that he has not paid; he may owe Hajj that he has not performed; he may owe expiation; or he may have debts owed to people. He should therefore be reminded to make a will concerning these matters.

He should also be encouraged to make a voluntary bequest. It may be said to him: “If you were to bequeath something from your wealth to charitable causes, you would benefit from it.” The best bequest he can make is for needy relatives who are not heirs, because the view I consider stronger is that making a bequest for non-inheriting relatives is obligatory. This is because Allah says:

“Prescribed for you, when death approaches any of you and he leaves wealth, is that he make a bequest for parents and close relatives according to what is acceptable—a duty upon those mindful of Allah.” [al-Baqarah]

The heirs, however, were specifically addressed by the verses of inheritance, while all others remain upon the original ruling, namely obligation.

The correct view is that the verse is decisive and has not been abrogated. Accordingly, he may bequeath whatever amount he wishes—for example, one-fifth. He may say: “I have bequeathed one-fifth, from which the executor should give whatever he sees fit to my non-inheriting relatives, and the remainder to charitable causes.”