Is it possible for a child who was born as a result of fornication to be a saint?

The Details of the Question

- Is it possible for a child who was born as a result of fornication to be a saint?
- Are there any harms of being born as an illegitimate child? If yes, what are they?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

An illegitimate child can be a saint.

As a matter of fact, there are so many saints whose fathers are unbelievers; there are also many people who denied Allah for years, then believed and became saints through righteous deeds.

Why should an innocent child who was born as an illegitimate child due to the sin of his parents not be a righteous person, a saint and a perfect believer?

The following is stated in the Quran:

"... Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you..." (see al-Hujurat, 49/13)

A crime makes a person who commits it responsible. The responsibility of a person cannot be loaded on another person. (see al-An’am, 6/164; al-Isra, 17/15; Fatir, 35/18; az-Zumar, 39/7; an-Najm, 53/38)

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Every child is born with a true faith of Islam...” (see Bukhari, Janaiz 92)

Thus, a child who is born as a result of an illegitimate intercourse has no responsibility, sin or preference in it.

In that case, such a child is innocent like every other child.

According to our religion, the race, language, color and lineage of a person who surrenders to Allah and believes in Him heartily, who has the consciousness of responsibility and who acts honestly and virtuously are of no significance. They are not and cannot be means of superiority. For, superiority is obtained through acquisitions afterwards, that is, through “taqwa”.

Allah does not look at our wealth and shapes but at our belief and righteous deeds. (see Muslim, Birr 10)

As it is dealt with in detail in fiqh books, issues like whether the deed of fornication brings about prohibitions related to marriage, the father of the illegitimate child, whether an illegitimate child can be deprived of any rights related to public works and services were discussed.

It is necessary to see the discussions on the illegitimate child as efforts of settling the consciousness that fornication is a major sin and a clear evil that threatens the structure of the community without harming the principle of Islam that a crime makes a person who commits it responsible.

For more information, please click on the links given below

There is a hadith that is narrated as follows: "An illegitimate child is the evilest of the three evils." How should this narration be interpreted under the light of the verse, "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another"?

What is an illegitimate child? What does the religion of Islam say about this term?

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