al-Shafiʿi said: “The only prudent and cautious course for a Muslim is to have his will written and kept with him.”

2 – The legitimacy of making a will: there is unanimous agreement among the scholars on this point, and that consensus is grounded in the Quran and the Sunnah.

3 – Wills fall into two categories:
(a) recommended,
(b) obligatory.
The recommended type concerns voluntary charities and devotional offerings.
The obligatory type pertains to mandatory rights for which no proof would remain after the person’s death, for “whatever is indispensable for fulfilling an obligation is itself obligatory.” Ibn Daqiq al‐ʿId held that this ḥadith is to be understood as referring to the obligatory category.

4 – The phrase “who wishes to bequeath it” has led the majority of scholars to conclude that donating a portion of one’s wealth as charity for the sake of Allah is recommended, not compulsory.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said: There is consensus that such a bequest is not obligatory, and that if a person dies without making it, his estate is nevertheless divided among his heirs by unanimous agreement. By contrast, a testament directing the payment of debts and the return of trusts and deposits is an obligatory will, as explained above.

5 – It is prescribed to hasten to draw up one’s will: to make its contents plain, to comply with the Lawgiver’s command, to prepare for death, and to reflect upon the will and its beneficiaries before some distraction intervenes.

6 – A properly executed written document is sufficient to establish the will and act upon it, for the ḥadith does not mention witnesses; once the handwriting is authenticated, it is strong and conclusive proof.

7 – The excellence of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), his eagerness to do good, and his obedience to the Wise Lawgiver: Muslim relates that he said, “Not a single night passed without my will being written and kept with me.”