Question
A husband and wife adopted a male child of unknown lineage 15 years ago and registered him under their name. After he turned 15, their relatives informed them that he is not a mahram (non-marriageable relative) to the wife, and the child does not know that they are not his biological parents. The couple is psychologically exhausted from the discussions. What should they do in this situation?
Answer
I say, and with God's success: It is not permissible in Sharia to name the boy after them in such a way that his lineage is established from them, and the boy must know that they are not his real parents; because adoption by lineage is prohibited in Islam. The mother, in relation to him, is a foreign woman unless she has breastfed him before the age of two from herself or her sisters, in order to establish the prohibition of breastfeeding. Consequently, she must always wear a veil in front of him, and they must continue to care for him and attend to his upbringing and other matters, and they will have great reward with God Almighty for that. And God knows best.