FatwaFederal TerritoriesInheritance, Wills & Gifts
BAYAN LINNAS SIRI KE-72: ANAK YATIM: IHSANILAH DAN BERTAQWALAH
Who is considered an orphan (yatim) in Islam?
Short answer
This Bayan Linnas states that an orphan is a child who has lost his or her father and has not yet reached puberty, based on the hadith that there is no orphanhood after puberty.
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
- Bayan Linnas
- Topic
- Inheritance, Wills & Gifts
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
This Bayan Linnas states that an orphan is a child who has lost his or her father and has not yet reached puberty, based on the hadith that there is no orphanhood after puberty. Once a person reaches puberty, the term yatim is no longer applied, even if both parents have died. For example, a person in their twenties who has lost both parents is not called an orphan. In the dictionary sense, yatim piatu refers to a child who has lost both mother and father.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Islam melihat bahawa anak yatim itu adalah mereka yang kematian bapa dan belum mencapai umur baligh.
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. “BAYAN LINNAS SIRI KE-72: ANAK YATIM: IHSANILAH DAN BERTAQWALAH”, 24 October 2016. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/bayan-linnas/1135-bayan-linnas-siri-72-anak-yatim-ihsanilah-dan-bertaqwalah. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/who-is-considered-an-orphan-in-islam/