Leaving a Will: Is Making a Will Obligatory in Islam?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Leaving a Will: Is Making a Will Obligatory in Islam?

English:

Question #1816:

Is leaving a will obligatory so much so that one could be sinful if they do not do it?

Answer #1816:

If the person keeps other’s belongings, owes something to somebody or he should perform some missed rituals (missed prayers, fasts, khums, zakat, kaffārah, maẓālim, haj), of which they could not discharge their responsibility, it is obligatory for them to leave a will. Otherwise, it is not obligatory.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Leaving a Will