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What is the ruling on a husband remaining with his wife after discovering her infidelity and the proven paternity of a child to another man, given his intense attachment to the child and his eagerness not to expose the mother in front of her daughters?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The lineage of a child to his father is established immediately upon his birth on his bed (within the marital home), based on the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) saying: "The child belongs to the bed, and for the fornicator is the stone." A severe warning has been issued against anyone who disavows his child while knowing that the child is his. It is not permissible for a man to deny the lineage of his son merely because of a difference in resemblance, for the resemblance might be to his ancestors. This is evidenced by the hadith of the man who came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) informing him of the birth of a black boy who did not resemble him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Perhaps this son of yours was pulled by a vein (hereditary trait)." Therefore, a husband is not permitted to disavow his child merely based on suspicion or a difference in color.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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