"Think about the benefits of making a will"
Seminar-Infos:
- Datum: 27.02. - 01.03.2015
- Ort: Haus des Islam
- Seminarsprache: Englisch
- Beitrag: 60€
- Beitrag (Studenten): 35€
"Think about the benefits of making a will"
Ein Interview mit dem Erbschaftsspezialisten Azeam Akram
Vom 28.02. - 01.03.15 findet das englischsprachige HDI-Seminar, "Mein letzter Wille", zum Thema Erbschaft im Islam statt. Hierzu haben wir Bruder Azeam Akram eingeladen, mit dem wir das Folgende Interview geführt haben, um euch einen kleinen Überblick über die Inhalte des Seminars zu verschaffen.
HDI-Redaktion: Dear brother Azeam, assalamu aleikum. Would you please introduce yourself to our community?
Azeam Akram: First of all assalamu alaikum to all my brothers and sisters in Germany. My name is Azeam Akram. I am an English qualified lawyer and have been practising law for 10 years.
HDI-Redaktion: There are various specializations in law, what's yours?
Azeam Akram: Part of my job involves trying to resolve inheritance disputes. We are seeing a lot more disputes in this area, and it may be down to people living longer, having properties and land in more than one country, having large estates, or there are pre-existing family disputes which complicate the ultimate distribution of an estate. It may also be due to having assets registered in names of siblings or children. In the latter case, where assets are registered in the name of a child, it may be seen by that child that he is now the rightful owner, and any attempts to change that will cause the start of a long protracted legal dispute.
HDI-Redaktion: What in your opinion are the roots of such disputes?
Azeam Akram: It is a sad state of affairs, where a person spends the majority of his adult life in accumulating wealth, sometimes sharing that with his family, sometimes not, and when he passes away, there is no agreement between the pool of people who stand to inherit. You wonder why there is no agreement; each person has a self-interest to maximise his entitlement, conflict will arise, and it will reach the law courts. We all know that cases decided in the courts are not always predictable, one member of the family may have better communication skills, be presentable, and say all the right things to persuade the court that his position is true, and he may well succeed. Yet there is no justice in that situation if what he says was carefully planned, as I have seen in some cases, and his entitlement is not to the level awarded at court.
HDI-Redaktion: Whom is the seminar intended for?
Azeam Akram: The talk is intended for those who wish to understand the process of inheritance in more detail. Legal jargon / difficult legal concepts will be simplified, but will be kept to a minimal. Slides have been prepared and will be available insha Allah. For those interesting in learning about the topics discussed in greater detail, there will be a list of books available which can be bought online or from the nearest bookshop. If participants want to raise any particular questions, they might want to draft those and send beforehand, so that the speaker can manage time effectively.
HDI-Redaktion: Why do you think this seminar is beneficial for the attendees?
Azeam Akram: Well, the seminar is designed to get people to think about the benefits of making a will, the problems and pitfalls where no will is made, or where a will is made but successfully challenged. We will insha Allah look at some of the basic principles of Islamic Inheritance. Part of the talk is designed to try and demystify the inheritance process, so that we can see just how remarkably easy it is to make a will, and even in circumstances where a person’s personal life is not quite settled (for instance, he is unmarried, separated or going through divorce, or he has a dispute with other members of the family regarding his own parents’ estate), it is still possible to break the cycle of making a will before death. Islam is very clear about the need to make a will, and you will know of the Hadith that let not two nights pass without having a will.
The talk is designed to last a day and a half, with lunch and prayer breaks, and also there will be some group study and oppurtunities for questions. There will be discussions and the hope is that each attendee will be rushing to see their local lawyer to get a will drafted, or will try and resolve inheritance disputes having understood why disputes arise in the first place and how they can be managed.
HDI-Redaktion: Dear brother Azeam, thank you for the interview. We are looking forward to meeting you in the Haus des Islam, in Lützelbach, soon.