Why Shouldn’t a Father Take Care of a Child Born Out of Wedlock?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Children born of fornication are related to the mother, but isn’t it unfair when both have committed fornication that the mother bears the only burden when fathers can live free? These innocent children suffer from growing up without a father. Beyond the fiqh, isn’t it more in line with morality for the father to take care of them even if they are legally foreigners?

Answer

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for bringing up a big problem in today’s society. I pray that the young women of today don’t allow men near them until they give them a marital contract with a promise to clothe them, feed them and provide for them in a halal manner.

Child Out of Wedlock

It is true that it is unfair for a woman to care for a baby by herself. But what was the reason for this baby? Rape? Lust? Leisure? Incest? The reasons differ, so I can’t give you a specific answer, but you can see many details here:

Rights and Rulings of an Illegitimate Child
When Is a Child Ascribed to the Father in Islam?

Human Decency 

What you mention above is correct. Although a biological father will not be given the honor of being called the child’s parent, it is more in line with morality and decency to not abandon the mother and baby.

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.