FatwaFederal TerritoriesMarriage & Family
AL-KAFI #621 : HAK JAGAAN ANAK SETELAH BERCERAI
Who has the right to custody of a young child after the parents divorce?
Short answer
Custody of a young child (hadhanah) after divorce belongs primarily to the mother as long as she has not remarried, based on a hadith narrated by Abu Daud.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Al-Kafi li al-Fatawi
- Topic
- Marriage & Family
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Custody of a young child (hadhanah) after divorce belongs primarily to the mother as long as she has not remarried, based on a hadith narrated by Abu Daud. The Syariah Court decides the matter, and if the mother is found unqualified, custody passes in a set order to relatives such as the maternal grandmother, the father and the paternal grandmother, provided the child's welfare is not harmed. A custodian must be Muslim, of sound mind, of good conduct and living in a safe environment, and custody may be lost due to apostasy, open gross misconduct or neglect of the child. Under Act 303 of the Federal Territories, hadhanah ends at age seven for boys and nine for girls, extendable by the court, and state enactments may differ slightly.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Islam telah menetapkan bahawa yang paling layak mendapat hak jagaan anak setelah terbubarnya sebuah perkahwinan adalah ibu kepada anak-anak tersebut selagi mana si ibu tersebut belum berkahwin dengan suaminya yang baru.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “AL-KAFI #621 : HAK JAGAAN ANAK SETELAH BERCERAI”, 19 May 2017. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/839-al-kafi-621-hak-jagaan-anak-setelah-bercerai. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/child-custody-rights-after-divorce/