Breast-Feed It but Do Not Give Up Your Family Name

18-10-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

I do not have children and would like to take responsibility of a parentless child to raise and nurture. Will it be ok if I do not change the child's family name and if my wife can breast-feed the child five times by taking a medicine to make her breast-feed?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Raising an orphan and educating him is among the best deeds. Allah promises anyone who does such a thing of the highest rank in Paradise on the Day of Judgement.

The Prophet said: “I and the maintainer of the orphan are in Paradise like these (and he raised his forefinger and his middle finger).” [Al-Bukhari]

The Quran urges people to take care of orphans in many verses.

As for adopting a child by giving him/her one's lineage, then this is forbidden. Allah Says (what means): {…nor has He made your adopted sons your sons…} [Quran 33:4]

So, we say to this questioner, take care of the orphan, educate him/her well, but do not give him/her your family names, and do not change his/her family name if you know it. This is highly rewarded, Allah willing.

As for the fact that the wife takes some medicine to breast feed this baby so that he becomes her Mahram, then this is lawful provided it does not cause any harm to her or to the baby itself.

Allah knows best.