Title: Why is Adoption Considered Prohibited in Islam? Question: My question regards the disallowance of adoption in Islam. Where did this concept come from? Was it when, supposedly, Prophet Muhammad un-adopted his adopted son. I'm sure you've heard the ridiculous reason. My concern is the source of this prohibition in the minds of Muslims and the Shari`ah . Please expound on the situation because to my knowledge many Muslims believe that we're not allowed to adopt any children even though the Qur'an promotes and encourages it, or so it seems. Ronnie Answer: As I see it, Muslims, generally, talk about the prohibition of adoption in Islam, in the particular perspective of the current socio-legal connotation of the word "adoption". As per the general connotation of the word "adoption", the adopted child is given socio-legal status with reference to its adopting parents. Islam does not recognize this socio-legal status for the adopted child. Thus, according to the directives of Islam, for instance, such rights as a prescribed share in inheritance or prohibition of relations (for marriage) etc., are not recognized for adoption. It seems that it is primarily the lack of recognition of this aspect of "adoption", which has led many Muslims to hold that Islam prohibits adoption, as such. However, as I have clarified in a few of my earlier responses, that is not the case. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad March 13, 2002