{"_id":"682ca5365b54310cbd8b9ce3","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"How should a Muslim guardian (wakeel) of a Christian child raise that child?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"My non-Muslim sister is contemplating putting me in her will to take care of her son in the event Allah forbid something happens to her or her husband. They are Christian and their son is currently being raised as a Christian.\\n\\nIf something happens and he is still a minor under my care, am I obligated to raise him as a Muslim? Is it permissible to facilitate him to practice his current religion?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"It is a testament to your character that your non-Muslim sister would entrust her child to you—especially knowing that you follow a different faith. May Allah reward you for your sincerity and concern in approaching this matter responsibly.\\n\\nFirstly, this type of arrangement is permissible in Islam. A Muslim may be entrusted with the care of a non-Muslim child, but the reverse is not permitted—a Muslim child may not be placed in the custody of a non-Muslim guardian, due to the obligation of preserving the child’s dīn.\\n\\nAs for the child’s religion: Since he was born to non-Muslim parents, he is legally considered non-Muslim until he reaches the age of puberty and independently chooses a faith. In other words, in Islamic law, a child follows the religion of their parents until they reach maturity, at which point they may choose another path.\\n\\nThis means you cannot force or declare your nephew a Muslim. He remains on his parents’ religion until he chooses otherwise. At the same time, you are not permitted to actively facilitate the religious practices of another faith, such as taking him to church or participating in non-Islamic rituals.\\n\\nHowever, you are also not permitted to prevent him from practicing his religion, as long as he is a minor and still legally follows his parents' faith. Your role is to neither suppress nor promote non-Islamic worship, but to uphold your own religious boundaries while caring for him with integrity.\\n\\nYou may expose him to Islamic values and teachings in a gentle and inviting way, and you should pray that, when he reaches the age of moral responsibility, Allah ﷻ opens his heart to Islam.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668da0010b76658b4c232b9d","tag":"Relationships: Parent and Child","count":111},{"_id":"668d9fe30b76658b4c23280f","tag":"Relationships: Non-Muslims","count":95},{"_id":"668da0830b76658b4c23393f","tag":"Relationships: Sibling","count":29},{"_id":"668d9fdd0b76658b4c232762","tag":"Contemporary Life: Adoption","count":10},{"_id":"675b213d19f3a526bbbee2ad","tag":"Christians","count":1}],"createdOn":"2025-05-20T15:52:22.930Z"}