What is Adoption (Kafala) in Islam?

Adoption is the formal, permanent transfer of parental rights to a family other than a child’s own and the formal assumption by that family of all parenting duties for the child. In western adoption, the family has the right to name the child using the father’s full name. Also the adopted child is entitled to inherit from the adoptive family. As in kafala, it is an Arabic term of guardianship. In some Islamic countries; including Egypt, the term ‘Kafala’ of Islamic law is used to describe a situation similar to adoption, but not necessarily with the transference of inheritance rights, or the change of the child’s full name.

Kafala, is the commitment to voluntarily take care of the needs, of the education and of the protection of a minor, in the same way a family would do it for its biological children. Moreover, Kafala being strongly encouraged in Islam but there have been a misleading CULTURAL perception about its true meaning, practice, and significance. As a result, our innocent children have been under institutionalized care of orphanages rather than being granted a warm family life and home. We created this page to restore back the authentic meaning of Kafala in Islam that was taught by our beloved prophet.