Adoption is not a decision to be taken lightly, and families who do choose to adopt are provided with support and specialist advice throughout their journey, often undertaking the difficult task of rehabilitating children who have experienced extreme trauma and/or abuse.
عَنْ سَهْلِ بَْنِ سَعْدٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِى الْجَنَّةِ هكَذَ، وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسطَى وَفَرَّجَ بَيْنَهُمَا شَيْئاً
From Sahl bin Sa’ad (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: “The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “I and the one who looks after an orphan will be like this in Paradise,” showing his middle and index fingers and separating them.”
Following this you will make a decision if you want to proceed and become adoptive parents, where you will go through these steps:
For a more in-depth explaination of these stages for the adoption process, please refer to our guide by clicking here
Kafala emphasizes fostering children in need of care but forbids claiming adoptive children as blood relatives. There are certain rules when considering adoption in Islam:
عَنْ سَهْلِ بَْنِ سَعْدٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم : أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِى الْجَنَّةِ هكَذَ، وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسطَى وَفَرَّجَ بَيْنَهُمَا شَيْئاً
"Call them by [the names of] their [biological] fathers”
This signifies the importance of keeping the child’s identity intact by keeping their original surname. The choice to hold onto the surname is completely in the hands of the child, and should they wish to, they are able to change it if they have a clear understanding of their background and roots.
Adoption in Islam is very often misunderstood and deters a great deal of Muslims from considering adopting out of a lack of understanding. It’s important to us to break these barriers down and provide some clarity to prospective Muslim adopters.
Tabbani is when a child is brought up by the adopted parents without being told about their true identity and this is strictly prohibited in Islam. Tabbani and adoption are often confused, and many believe adoption itself is prohibited, which is untrue.
Not by law, however, we encourage you to be open to once a year letterbox contact, where you send an update of the child to your social worker, who will then show the birth parents. The birth parents can also send a letter through the social worker – it’s up to you if you wish the letter with your child.
You will be able to apply for permanent adoption after two months of the child being with you.
The average age of a child at adoption is 3 years old.
You cannot apply to become an adoptive parent if you or anyone living in your household has a criminal conviction or has been cautioned for specified criminal offences against children and/or some sexual offences against adults. This will be covered in stage one, before you are allowed to proceed.
It’s important that your adoptive child has a strong sense of their family history and cultural identity. By embracing their heritage and culture, you can help assure that they develop into healthy adult.
It’s possible but how long it takes for you to be matched to a child under 2 depends on how flexible you are with what ethnicities you are willing to adopt. If the child is under 2, it is advisable to be open with adopting from non-Muslim parents.