Credentials
Bar admissions
- New Jersey
- New York
Education
- J.D. — Pace Law School
- M.A. in Islamic Studies — SOAS, University of London
Teaching appointments
- Rutgers Law School
- Pace Law School
- Seton Hall Law School
Areas of expertise
Islamic inheritance (faraid)
Qur'anic heirs, residuary allocation (ta'sib), proportional return (radd), and proportional reduction (awl).
Islamic wills & wasiyyah
Drafting U.S.-enforceable Islamic wills that align with the Muslim law of inheritance and state probate realities.
Guardianship for minor children
Islamic and U.S. legal frameworks for designating a guardian and protecting a child's best interests.
Health care directives & end-of-life
Islamic law perspectives on living wills, organ donation, brain death, and advance medical directives.
Marriage & estate intersections
Mahr, spousal protection, and how marital property flows through Islamic and U.S. estate rules.
Family edge cases
Adopted children, children born outside marriage, predeceased-child grandchildren, and caregiving daughters.
Expert video library
Abed's full expert video library on Islamic wills, inheritance, and end-of-life planning for U.S. Muslim families. Each video includes a plain-language summary and practical U.S. planning context.
- 1m 48s
Video 1: What is Sharia?
Defines Sharia as a moral and ethical framework rooted in the Quran and Prophetic guidance, emphasizing lived ethics in everyday life.
- 3m 48s
Video 2: Islamic law of inheritance framework
Introduces Qur'anic heirs, residuary heirs (ta'sib), and distant kindred, with the forced-heirship structure of Islamic inheritance.
- 3m 09s
Video 3: Radd vs ta'sib
Explains how remaining estate portions are redistributed through proportional return (radd) or residue allocation (ta'sib).
- 3m 05s
Video 4: Ta'sib explained
Breaks down the concept of residuary heirs and when non-fixed-share inheritance applies after prescribed shares.
- 1m 37s
Video 5: Awl explained
Covers proportional reduction when prescribed shares exceed the estate, and how awl differs from radd and ta'sib.
- 3m 06s
Video 6: Only daughters surviving
Discusses majority and modern scholarly views on whether daughters can block collateral heirs and receive residue.
- 2m 04s
Video 7: Children born outside marriage (version A)
Explains automatic heirship limits and how bequests may provide for children not inheriting through default paternal-line rules.
- 1m 31s
Video 8: Children born outside marriage (version B)
Alternative take on inheritance treatment for children born outside marriage and one-third bequest pathways.
- 2m 58s
Video 9: Is an Islamic will required?
Outlines practical U.S. need for wills and the Sharia classification of bequests across obligatory, recommended, disliked, and prohibited cases.
- 1m 48s
Video 10: Compensating a caregiving daughter
Covers permissible methods to recognize caregiving contributions through lifetime gifts or debt treatment before estate distribution.
- 1m 29s
Video 11: Grandchildren of predeceased child
Explains why grandchildren may not automatically inherit in some cases and reviews obligatory-bequest discussions.
- 1m 25s
Video 12: Adopted children and inheritance
Distinguishes automatic heirs from bequest recipients and explains planning options for adopted children.
Editorial note. Abed Awad, Esq. contributes educational video content to HalalWallet on Islamic estate planning and inheritance. The videos are educational and informational — they are not legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice tailored to your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.