Q: When a person dies, what are the expenses that must must be taken care of? I heard somewhere that there was a order of who and what. Example, food expencse? A little lost and need some clear facts. Making a will and need your assistance. Please. Ma salam

A: expense order:

• Expenses related to burial. The cost of calling the doctor, clean up, taking the body to the mortuary, kafan (burial cloth) as well as all those legitimate expenses associated with the dying person can all be deducted from the account of the deceased. One cannot include feeding those that would come to visit the home, etc. To deduct expenses from the deceased to feed those that come to the home would be theft from the wealth of the inheritors and an injustice to the one that has passed away.

• Take care of all loans/debts.

• If the deceased has bequeathed 1/3 to a legitimate party that has the right to inherit according to religious law

• Those that can inherit would now be allowed to come and gain access to what is their religious right in an orderly manner.

Allah Certainly Knows

(see Sharah of mishkat)

One does not end with Ma Salam, you start with salam (as derived from hadith!) Thereafter if you end with salam, it is fine!