A POST on social media regarding inheritance procedure in Malaysia involving Muslim converts has highlighted the need to get affairs in order, especially if the convert wishes to leave behind assets to his/her non-Muslim kin.
An anonymous post on the Malaysian Education Info (And homeschooling too) Facebook forum highlighted a case where a Muslim convert friend had passed on while having named his Christian 13-year-old offspring as nominee to his Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings.
Benarkah begini pic.twitter.com/aXthFzTOgm
— Kak Jah Sungai Dua (@XXXbyefelicia) January 22, 2025
Alas, the child was not entitled to a single sen as she was a non-Muslim as EPF contributions are deemed inheritance and cannot be passed on to non-Muslim relatives.
The monies amounting to over half-a-million ringgit was then deposited to state agency Baitulmal which is, according to its website, “the final place of reference in the event there are no entitled heirs to inherit a given estate or there is a remainder of the estate after it has been divided amongst the entitled heirs”.
The post was shared on X by influencer Kak Jah Sungai Dua (@XXXbyefelicia) who enquired if this was indeed the case.
The post which has since generated over 944.6K views at time of publication showcased that many are similarly curious about matters of intestate.
The poster’s enquiry was met by a similar response from a few netizens who duly advised that a proper will be drawn up in case of unexpected or untimely demise.
One netizen contended that it is what it is regardless whether the nominee is flesh and blood. It is best to draw up a will to avoid such consequences.
The importance of a will was echoed by a lady speaking from first-hand experience. She claimed that her late husband – though not wealthy – made sure every sen was accounted for and heirs named in a will. This ensured there was no bickering over the division of assets.
One netizen pointed out that the public needs to be educated on the concept of hibah (a gift given by a person to another person voluntarily while he/she is still alive).
By the way, the MyGOV (Malaysian government’s official gateway) website defines hibah as follows in its subject of “managing hibah”:
To Muslim converts, it is thus extremely important to have one’s last will and testament drawn up, especially if the person wishes non-Muslim kin to be inheritors.
It may seem taboo for many to talk about death but this is inevitable and it is best to avoid a scenario as the one above where the deceased’s child was not entitled to anything.
In fact, it is sound advice for everyone regardless of faith to have their wills drawn up to ensure no problems or delays in inheritance arise after their death. – Jan 27, 2025
