Answered by: Maulana Abdul Muktader
Question
If a family adopts a child where other children are available too then are the children mahrams to each other or not?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The adopted child will not be a mahram.
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ وَخَالَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ وَأُمَّهَاتُكُمُ اللَّاتِيأَرْضَعْنَكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُممِّنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ وَأُمَّهَاتُ نِسَائِكُمْ وَرَبَائِبُكُمُ اللَّاتِيفِيحُجُورِكُممِّننِّسَائِكُمُ اللَّاتِيدَخَلْتُمبِهِنَّ فَإِنلَّمْ تَكُونُوادَخَلْتُمبِهِنَّ فَلَاجُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَحَلَائِلُ أَبْنَائِكُمُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَابِكُمْ وَأَنتَجْمَعُوابَيْنَ الْأُخْتَيْنِ إِلَّامَاقَدْ سَلَفَ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًارَّحِيمًا – 4:23
Prohibited to you [for marriage] are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father’s sisters, your mother’s sisters, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s daughters, your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing, your wives’ mothers, and your step-daughters under your guardianship [born] of your wives unto whom you have gone in. But if you have not gone in unto them, there is no sin upon you. And [also prohibited are] the wives of your sons who are from your [own] loins, and that you take [in marriage] two sisters simultaneously, except for what has already occurred. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
الَّذِينَ مِنْ أَصْلَابِكُمْ – تخصيصليخرجعنهكلمنكانتالعربتتبناهممنليسللصلب (تفسيرالقرطبيج. ٣ ص. ١٠٧ ط. دارالحديثالقاهرة)
Imam Qurtubi explains, “who are from your [own] loins” is exclusive to exclude from it all those the Arabs used to adopt who are not from the loins.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Abdul Muktader
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham