This is a Facebook Status update from Sheykh Yasir Qadhi which can help us understand what is the Islamic view on Adoption.
Sadly, it is very common to hear the phrase 'Adoption is ḥarām in
Islam'. I myself heard this countless times growing up, and continue to
hear it and get asked questions about it.
We need to be clear
that this phrase is simply too ambiguous and problematic, and cannot and
should not be used. What is forbidden is the ancient pre-Islamic custom
of 'tabannī', where a man would claim that another man's son or
daughter would henceforth be considered his own biological son or daughter.
Our Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) conferred this honor on his
servant Zayd b. Ḥarithah, before the coming of Islam. As Abdullah ibn
`Umar said, "We never knew Zayd except as Zayd ibn Muhammad, until Allah
revealed Surah al-Aḥzāb."
In Surah al-Aḥzāb, Allah said, 'Call them by their fathers - that is
justice in the eyes of Allah!' So Zayd's name was reverted back from
Zayd b. Muhammad to Zayd b. Ḥarithah.
It is ḥarām to claim that a
man is the biological father of a child when that is clearly not the
case. THAT is what is forbidden in Islam. As for taking a child in need,
especially an orphan child, and raising it with the same love and care
and concern as one's own child, not only is this not forbidden, it is in
fact one of the most beloved of deeds to Allah. In the authentic
Hadith, "I, and the one who takes care of an orphan, will be like this
(together) in Paradise," and he intertwined between his two fingers.
An orphan child should eventually be told (once he or she is mature
enough) who the biological parents are, and it should never be claimed
that the orphan child is the biological child of the couple who is
raising him. And there are some maḥram and inheritance issues that are
raised by this as well, which can easily be resolved or worked around.
But to claim unequivocally that 'Adoption is ḥaram' is simply wrong,
since the word 'adoption' can also imply taking care of and raising a
child, which is a great act of worship.
We should refrain from
using this ambiguous phrase, and also point out when we hear people say
it that they should clarify what they mean
