Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Yes, a single woman can adopt a child in Islam, provided she does not alter the child’s lineage or identity. Adoption is viewed as an act of care, not legal parentage, and must be done with the intention of nurturing and providing love and support.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
There is no formal adoption in the sense of changing the paternal identity of the adoptee in Islam. It is false parentage. However, we are allowed to adopt children if it does not involve any fake identity with the noble intention of taking care of them and nurturing them with care and love.
Therefore, as long as your sister can make this distinction and understand her responsibilities and can take on the necessary responsibilities associated with it, she may do that. The Prophet’s wives (may Allah be pleased with them) used to take care of the orphans.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.