QUESTION: Couple got divorced and have a child.Child is living with his father.So whoever is taking care of baby does she has the same status as mother(heaven lies under her feet).And does biological mother has any status/value in child’s life or not,if baby isn’t with her due to some reason but she loves that baby

Fiqh of the family, Pedagogy education and upbringing, Step Relations and Related Matters
25 Apr

ANSWER: The reward and the responsibility of being dutiful is only to the real biological mother.  The step mother is rewarded for her kindness and that is it. She has no rights on her step child at all.

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QUESTION: Are step siblings and step parents Mahram?

Mahram, Step Relations and Related Matters
08 Jan

ANSWER: A step parent is someone married to your father or mother and they are your mahram A step sibling is not related to you via your father or mother and hence he/she are non mahram to you

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QUESTION: If a man and woman adopts a baby girl who the wife breastfeeds. Can he as the father through breastfeeding be the wali when this girl grows up?

Fiqh of Marriage, Step Relations and Related Matters
02 Nov

ANSWER: He can never be her guardian as he is not from her kinship and she doesn’t carry his name.  Her guardian is her biological paternal kinship and if they are not known, then the muslim judge or the authorized Muslim Imam becomes her guardian. 

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I heard that step sister is obliged to abide by hijab infront of her step brothers.Are they mehram or non mehram to her sheik?

Mahram, Step Relations and Related Matters
13 Aug

ANSWER: Step siblings who don’t share the same father or same mother are total strangers and non mahrams to each other. 

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I lost my mother when I was very young and my father got married again does my step mother have the same rights as my birth mother and all the other rights my birth mother is entitled to

Step Relations and Related Matters
23 Jan

ANSWER: The step mother has no right on the step children nor the step children have any duties towards the step parent.  However, you should respect her as an elder and in order to please your father.

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May I ask the ruling regarding the right of a step parent? Would I need to honour the wife of my biological father. I don’t feel comfortable with this notion as my biological mother is whom I love and I honour due to her being the mother who gave birth to me. When I mean honour I mean would I be responsible for caring for her or would be the responsibility of her husband?

Step Relations and Related Matters
23 Dec

ANSWER: You don’t have any duties towards your step mother nor you are obliged to listen to her. However, it’s best to respect her in order to please your father but she does not have any rights over the step children. 

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What role (responsibility) does a stepfather play in his wife’s children’s lives. Specially if conflict arises between the children and stepfather & wife (for some reason) keeps a distance from the husband.

Step Relations and Related Matters
29 Aug

A step father is the husband of the mother. He has no rights upon his wife’s children nor is obliged to do anything for them.

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I got a question from a person which confused me so I thought to ask you. A girl whose mother has a step brother (from another father), he is that girl’s step uncle, is he her Mahram or not?

Step Relations and Related Matters
28 Jun

The mother and this “step brother” are not related it seems and they are not mahram to one another , let alone being a mahram to that girl! If he was a half brother, meaning that he shares a mother or a father with this woman, he is a mahram to her daughter. Otherwise, he […]

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Asalaam Mualakum Sheikh, I currently have my step father’s last name and I will soon in shaa Allah change it to my real father’slast name. I was legally adopted as a child by my step father. I am now 20 years old, do I have to be un-adopted in the courts or is the name change sufficient?

Step Relations and Related Matters
12 Jun

Wa alaikum salam wa rahmatullaahi, The name change is sufficient.

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