False Claims about a Child's Linage
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According to Sharee'ah ( divine law ) , it is not permissible for a Muslim to claim to belong to anyone other than his father , or to claim to belong to a tribe whom he is not a member . Some people may do this for material gains , and may obtain do.cu.me.ntation to 'confirm' their false identity officially . Some people may do this out of hatred towards a father who abandoned them when they were children . All of this is haraam ( forbidden ) , and may lead to much chaos and corruption in a number of fields , such as knowing who is one's mahram / Mahram : woman/man whom he/she is not permitted to marry
as well as marriage , inheritance and other issues . Sa'd and Abu Bakrah both reported that the Prophet:salla: said
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Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his father , Paradise will be denied him
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[ Reported by al-Bukhaari ; see Fat'h al-Bari , 8/45 ]
It is also forbidden to tamper with linage or make false claims about a person's descent . There are some people who , when they want to fight dirty in arguments with their wives , accuse them of immoral conduct and disown their children , without any proof , while the child was born 'in their bed' ( i.e. is the husband's child and no-one else's ) . There are also some wives who betray their trust and become pregnant with another man's child , but claim that it belongs to the husband . The Prophet issued a stern warning against such conduct . Abu Hurayrah reported that when the verse of al-mulaa'anah ( Surah an-Noor (24):7 ) was revealed , the Prophet :salla: said
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The woman who introduces someone into a people who does not belong to them has nothing to do with Allah , and Allah will not admit her to His Paradise . Any man who denies his own child when he is looking at him , Allah will conceal Himself from him and expose him before all the people
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[ Reported by Abu Dawud , 2/695 ; see also Mishkat al-Masaabeeh , 3316 ]
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