Can a Parent Disown a Child?

Answered by Shaykh Jamir Meah

Question: Assalamu alaykum

My father got upset and verbally said that he disowns me. After that incident, he never mentioned anything about it and he is maintaining usual relationship with me, as if nothing had happened. Does mentioning such thing put me out of his family for good?

Answer: Wa’alaykum assalam. Jazakum Allah khayr for your question.

There is nothing in Islam that results in disowning one’s child or putting them ‘out’ of the family. Verbal utterances in which one disowns a family member are wrong, as severing the ties of kinship is an enormity, but carry no legal consequence.

The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘The upholder of kinship ties is not the one who is kind to them if they are kind to him, rather the upholder of kinship ties is the one who, if his relatives cut him off, he upholds the ties of kinship with them.’ [al Bukhari].

Therefore, despite your father’s angry words, ignore them and carry on as normal, do your best to be patient and forgiving, and avoid confrontation.

May Allah bring peace to our hearts and homes.

Warmest salams,
[Shaykh] Jamir Meah

Shaykh Jamir Meah grew up in Hampstead, London. In 2007, he traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he spent nine years studying the Islamic sciences on a one-to-one basis under the foremost scholars of the Ribaat, Tarim, with a main specialization and focus on Shafi’i fiqh. In early 2016, he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continues advanced studies in a range of Islamic sciences, as well as teaching. Jamir is a qualified homeopath.