Islam strongly encourages caring for orphans and vulnerable children, and this is among the most virtuous deeds. The Prophet ﷺ said: “I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be in Paradise like these two,” and he joined his index and middle fingers together. This hadith shows the immense reward for raising and caring for a child who is not one’s own.

At the same time, Islam makes a clear distinction between caring for a child and changing the child’s lineage. Before Islam, people would adopt children in a way that erased their true family identity, treating them exactly like biological children in name, inheritance, and marital rulings. Islam abolished this practice while preserving and strongly encouraging care, sponsorship, and upbringing.

Allah تعالى says: “Call them by [the names of] their fathers; that is more just in the sight of Allah.” This verse establishes that a child’s biological lineage must be preserved and not replaced by the adoptive family’s name when the lineage is known.

Accordingly, adopting a child in the sense of raising, loving, educating, and financially supporting them is fully permissible and highly rewarded. What is not permissible is changing the child’s family name, claiming them as one’s biological child, or hiding their true lineage. The child does not automatically inherit like a biological child, but the caregiver may give gifts during their lifetime or leave up to one-third of their estate through a will.

In addition, the rules of maḥram relationships remain based on biological or milk kinship. When the adopted child reaches maturity, Islamic guidelines of hijab and interaction apply unless milk kinship was established during infancy. These rules exist to preserve clarity, dignity, and proper family boundaries.

Islamic adoption, therefore, balances compassion with truth, ensuring that children are cared for with love and honor while preserving lineage and legal clarity.

Summary ruling:
Caring for and raising adopted children is halal and highly rewarded in Islam, provided the child’s lineage is preserved, inheritance rules are respected, and Islamic boundaries are observed.