Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Volume 1
Similarly, their lineage must be attributed to their biological father, not to the adoptive parents.
❝ مَا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍۢ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِى جَوْفِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَٰجَكُمُ ٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى تُظَـٰهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَآءَكُمْ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِكُمْ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَقُولُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِى ٱلسَّبِيلَ ﴿٤﴾ ٱدْعُوهُمْ لِـَٔابَآئِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَمَوَٰلِيكُمْ ۚ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌۭ فِيمَآ أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا ❞
(Sūrat al-Aḥzāb: 4–5)
"Allah has not made your adopted sons your [real] sons. That is [only] your saying with your mouths, but Allah says the truth and He guides to the
For instance:
✔ The companions used to call Zayd ibn Ḥārithah (رضي الله عنه) as "Zayd ibn Muhammad" until this verse was revealed, correcting this misconception.
✔ A similar issue arose in the household of Abū Ḥudhayfah (رضي الله عنه), who had adopted Sālim as a son. When it became prohibited to treat adopted sons as biological sons, his wife was required to observe veil from Sālim.
To resolve this, the Prophet ﷺ instructed Abū Ḥudhayfah’s wife to breastfeed Sālim, establishing a riḍāʿah (nursing) relationship, thereby making the veil no longer obligatory.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Raḍāʿah; Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Nikāḥ)
① Veil (ḥijāb) obligations
② Lineage (nasab) attribution
An adopted child must not be attributed to the adoptive parents' name, and upon maturity, Islamic rulings of maḥram and non-maḥram apply accordingly.
❖ Question:
What is the Islamic legal status of an adopted boy or girl once they reach maturity?❖ Answer:
If the adopted child is a non-maḥram, and once they reach the age where they understand the matters of men and women, then observing ḥijāb (veil) from them becomes obligatory.Similarly, their lineage must be attributed to their biological father, not to the adoptive parents.
❖ Divine Command:
Allah ﷻ says:❝ مَا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍۢ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِى جَوْفِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَٰجَكُمُ ٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى تُظَـٰهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَآءَكُمْ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِكُمْ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَقُولُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِى ٱلسَّبِيلَ ﴿٤﴾ ٱدْعُوهُمْ لِـَٔابَآئِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوٓا۟ ءَابَآءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَمَوَٰلِيكُمْ ۚ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌۭ فِيمَآ أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا ❞
(Sūrat al-Aḥzāb: 4–5)
"Allah has not made your adopted sons your [real] sons. That is [only] your saying with your mouths, but Allah says the truth and He guides to the
way. Call them by [the names of] their [real] fathers; that is more just in the sight of Allah."
❖ Clarification:
This ruling was revealed because in the era of Jāhiliyyah, adopted sons were considered as real sons. This notion had even continued in the early days of Islam.For instance:
✔ The companions used to call Zayd ibn Ḥārithah (رضي الله عنه) as "Zayd ibn Muhammad" until this verse was revealed, correcting this misconception.
✔ A similar issue arose in the household of Abū Ḥudhayfah (رضي الله عنه), who had adopted Sālim as a son. When it became prohibited to treat adopted sons as biological sons, his wife was required to observe veil from Sālim.
To resolve this, the Prophet ﷺ instructed Abū Ḥudhayfah’s wife to breastfeed Sālim, establishing a riḍāʿah (nursing) relationship, thereby making the veil no longer obligatory.
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Raḍāʿah; Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Nikāḥ)
❖ Conclusion:
It is not permissible in Sharīʿah to treat an adopted child as a biological one in terms of:① Veil (ḥijāb) obligations
② Lineage (nasab) attribution
An adopted child must not be attributed to the adoptive parents' name, and upon maturity, Islamic rulings of maḥram and non-maḥram apply accordingly.
