📜 Akad nikah · #58
May one marry an adopted sibling who was raised in the same home?
Yes, if there is no blood or breastfeeding tie that makes them mahram; adoption alone does not forbid marriage.
Allah affirms that adopted children are not natural children (al-Ahzab 33:4–5), and the Prophet ﷺ himself married Zaynab bint Jahsh, the former wife of his adopted son Zayd, to abolish the pre-Islamic assumption (al-Ahzab 33:37). But if one of them was breastfed by the adoptive mother or the other's mother, meeting the conditions of breastfeeding before the age of two, they become foster siblings and may not marry (an-Nisa' 4:23). Check the history of breastfeeding with the family before deciding. Also consider the feelings of the adoptive parents and the effect on the family. See the question on foster siblings.
Allah affirms that adopted children are not natural children (al-Ahzab 33:4–5), and the Prophet ﷺ himself married Zaynab bint Jahsh, the former wife of his adopted son Zayd, to abolish the pre-Islamic assumption (al-Ahzab 33:37). But if one of them was breastfed by the adoptive mother or the other's mother, meeting the conditions of breastfeeding before the age of two, they become foster siblings and may not marry (an-Nisa' 4:23). Check the history of breastfeeding with the family before deciding. Also consider the feelings of the adoptive parents and the effect on the family. See the question on foster siblings.
Sources
Surah al-Ahzab 33:4Surah al-Ahzab 33:37Surah an-Nisa' 4:23