and she becomes his umm walad. If, on the other hand, they ascribe the child to the seller, the sale is canceled and she likewise becomes his umm walad. The child is not affiliated on the strength of physiognomy unless the finding is confirmed by two upright physiognomists; this is the report transmitted by Ibn Nāfiʿ and Ashhab from Mālik. Ibn al-Qāsim and Maʿn ibn ʿĪsā, however, relate from Mālik that the word of a single upright physiognomist is sufficient, and that the judgment of women trained in physiognomy is not accepted unless the physiognomist’s eyesight is weak and he seeks their help.

When a person who has picked up an abandoned infant claims the child as his own, the claim is accepted—provided his falsehood is not established. Another view holds that the claim is accepted only if he was the one who first exposed the child and then retrieved it in the hope that it would live for him, as some people contend; the first opinion is the sounder.

Whoever spends on a foundling does so for the sake of divine reward and may not seek reimbursement. If the child’s lineage is later established, he may recover his outlay from the father, provided the latter is solvent. Likewise, if a child strays from his father and another man finds him and supports him, the father must reimburse the expenses if he has the means.