When a Muslim dies in Alberta

What the law says in Alberta

Registering the death

Every death in Alberta must be registered with Vital Statistics. Someone who knew the deceased completes the Registration of Death form, usually at the funeral home, which then registers the death. Registration is free within one year, and a death certificate cannot be issued until it is done. Register a death

Coroner or medical examiner

An unexpected death must be reported by calling 911; the police pass it to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The office says most bodies are examined within one working day so they can be released for burial, and its medical investigators are available 24 hours a day. Tell them early that the family needs a quick burial. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: overview; Report an unexpected or unexplained death

Release and burial permit

A Burial / Disposition Permit is needed before burial and must be shown to the cemetery. A funeral home gets it for you; a family arranging the burial itself can get it free from a hospital records area by handing in the Medical Certificate of Death and the Registration of Death form. Permit for the burial, cremation or other disposition of a human body

Probate and the estate

Grants of probate or administration come from the Court of King’s Bench under the Surrogate Rules; Alberta residents can apply online through the Surrogate Digital Service. A spouse, adult interdependent partner, child under 18, child aged 18 to 21 in full-time study, adult child unable to earn a living because of a disability, or a grandchild under 18 they were raising can ask the court for support if the will left them too little, within six months of the grant. Surrogate applications: non-contentious matters; Wills and Succession Act, ss. 72, 88–89

Small estates

The court fee for a grant depends on the net value of the estate in Alberta: $35 up to $10,000, $135 up to $25,000, $275 up to $125,000, $400 up to $250,000 and $525 above that. We did not find a separate small-estate procedure, so ask the bank whether it needs a grant before releasing the money. Surrogate Rules, Alta. Reg. 130/1995, Schedule 2

From official sources, checked October 2026. Laws change; your funeral home and a lawyer can confirm them.

The steps

1. 1

   Have the death pronounced

   In the first hour · 0 of 4

   A death has to be confirmed before anything else can happen.

   • In a hospital, hospice or palliative care, ask the staff to pronounce the death
   • If the death was expected at home, call the doctor or palliative care team who were caring for them
   • At home and unexpected, call 911
   • Tell the staff early that the family needs a quick release for a religious burial
2. and

   Close the eyes, cover the body, make duʿā

   In the first hour · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

   Gently and without hurry. Those present can do this while the calls are made.

   • Close the eyes and the mouth
   • Straighten the arms and legs
   • Cover the body with a clean sheet
   • Pray for them, and say only good
3. 2

   Call the masjid’s funeral committee

   In the first few hours · 0 of 3

   They arrange the washing, the shroud, the prayer and the burial, and usually know which funeral home to use.

   • Call the funeral committee or the imam
   • Tell them where the body is and who the next of kin is
   • Agree a time for the ghusl and the janazah prayer
4. 3

   Ask whether a coroner or medical examiner is involvedPaperwork

   If the death was sudden · 0 of 3

   After a sudden, unexplained or violent death, a coroner (in some provinces a medical examiner) investigates and may order an autopsy, which can delay burial.

   • Ask the hospital or police whether the death has gone to the coroner or medical examiner
   • Ask whether an autopsy is required, and when the body will be released
   • Tell the coroner’s office early, and politely, about the religious need for a quick burial and for no autopsy unless it is necessary
5. 4

   Choose a funeral home that allows ghuslPaperwork

   Within the first day · 0 of 4

   Most families use a funeral home, or a masjid’s own licensed funeral service. Your committee will usually name one.

   • Confirm the committee can wash the body there
   • Ask for no embalming and no viewing
   • Ask the funeral home to register the death and get the burial permit
   • If the body will be flown abroad for burial, tell the funeral home on the first call
6. and

   Register the death and get the burial permitPaperwork

   Within the first days · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 3

   A doctor, nurse practitioner or coroner certifies the cause of death. The funeral home and a family member give the personal details, and the death is registered with Alberta. Burial needs a permit.

   • Give the funeral director the full name, date and place of birth, parents’ names and the Social Insurance Number
   • Sign the statement or registration of death as the informant
   • Confirm the burial permit has been issued before the burial
7. and

   Wash and shroud the body

   Within the first day · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 2

   Done by trained Muslims of the same sex, or by the spouse. The committee usually provides the cloth.

   • Confirm who will wash
   • Confirm the kafan is ready

   How the washing and shroud are done

8. 5

   The janazah prayer and the burial

   As soon as possible · 0 of 4

   The prayer is often held after one of the daily prayers, and the burial follows straight after.

   • Tell family and community the time of the prayer
   • Confirm the grave in a Muslim cemetery or Muslim section
   • Ask the plot price, the fee to open and close the grave, and whether a casket or liner is required
   • Give the burial permit to the cemetery

   How to pray the janazah prayer

9. 6

   Get copies of the death certificatePaperwork

   In the first week · 0 of 3

   Banks, insurers and government offices will each want proof of death. A certificate can only be issued once the death is registered.

   • Ask the funeral home for its statement of death or proof of death
   • Order death certificates from the Alberta vital statistics office
   • Keep a list of who has been sent a copy
10. 7

    Pay the funeral costs and list every debt

    In the first weeks · 0 of 3

    The funeral is paid from the estate first, then the debts. Nothing is inherited until both are settled.

    • Pay the funeral costs from the estate
    • List loans, bills and money owed to family
    • Ask a scholar about any unpaid zakat
11. and

    Find the will, and tell Service CanadaPaperwork

    In the first weeks · at the same time as the step above · 0 of 4

    The executor (in Quebec, the liquidator) named in the will leads what follows.

    • Check papers at home, email, and with any lawyer or notary
    • Cancel CPP and Old Age Security payments, and tell the Canada Revenue Agency
    • Apply for the CPP death benefit, and ask about the survivor’s pension and children’s benefits
    • Secure the house and car, and keep the phone line active for sign-in codes
12. 8

    Settle and divide the estatePaperwork

    In the months after · 0 of 4

    Probate is provincial, so the steps and fees depend on Alberta. Small estates may need no grant at all. One call to a local estate lawyer (in Quebec, a notary) will tell you.

    • Apply for probate or administration if a bank or the land registry needs it
    • Close accounts and cancel subscriptions
    • Pay any bequest, up to one third, to people who are not heirs
    • Divide the rest by the fixed shares

    See how the estate divides

13. 9

    Look after the family

    Four months and ten days · 0 of 3

    A woman keeps the prescribed mourning (iḥdād: setting aside adornment and perfume) for no more than three days for any death, except for her husband: then four months and ten days, the length of her ʿiddah, or until she gives birth if she is pregnant.

    • Bring food and help with the household
    • Help the widow with errands and appointments
    • Make duʿā for the one who has died

    What to say and do when you visit

Settling things after the funeral? Keep track of every task, and who is doing it.

General guidance, not a fatwa or legal advice. Rules on registering a death, burial and estates differ between provinces and territories; your funeral home and a lawyer can confirm them. All sources

Last reviewed October 2026. Something wrong? Tell us