He was asked—may Allah have mercy on him—about a man who had intercourse with a woman to whom he was not married. She became pregnant by him, and he subsequently married her. Was he obliged to provide maintenance for the child’s upbringing?

He replied:

“The child was born of unlawful intercourse; according to the four imams, his lineage is not ascribed to that man. Nevertheless, the Muslims must support him, for he is an orphan, and the Muslims’ duty to maintain orphans is emphatically enjoined. And Allah knows best.”

He was asked—may Allah have mercy on him—about a man married to a woman who had a son by another man. The boy’s father owed him a maintenance allowance, which his mother received, while her husband supported the boy and met his expenses and upkeep for several years. When the man married her, part of the dowry consisted of five dinars payable immediately. She stipulated that she would not demand this sum from him if he maintained the child for as long as the boy remained with him, without specifying any amount for his expenses or maintenance. Could he demand reimbursement from the boy’s mother for the expenses of the period the boy stayed with him?