Q: I got married in the year 1395 A.H. and it is Allah's will that my chances of having children are quite slim as I have been told (Part No. 20; Page No. 330) by specialists. I have taken all the medications that they prescribed for my case, but to no avail. Eventually, I entrusted my affair to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and believed in His will and decree, and stopped the medications.Later, and in the year 1409 A.H, my wife informed me that she was pregnant, and you cannot imagine Your Honor how happy and pleased I was with such grace which Allah bestowed upon me. The period of pregnancy ended peacefully and my wife gave birth to a male child. Then came the big shock, as the newborn baby does not look like me in terms of his facial features, and even his skin color is different. I have a white complexion and my wife is slightly darker, whereas the baby is totally dark. As a result, I began to have suspicions and evil thoughts invade my mind. I could no longer endure the situation I was in, and I talked with relatives about my suspicions. At first they tried to ward off such malicious thoughts claiming that it is not necessary for a newborn to resemble his father, and that the thoughts I have are nothing but incitements of Satan. However, I am not convinced of what they are telling me, and after a period of suffering and my firm refusal of their opinions, they advised that the three of us undergo a blood analysis and genetic tests in order to put an end to all such suspicions.I did these analyses after so many disputes between my family and my (Part No. 20; Page No. 331) wife's, and eventually they agreed reluctantly to take the tests. Your Honor should know how advanced science is in this area, by Allah's favor. Two weeks after taking the samples, the doctors concluded that this baby could not by any means be mine. There is not a single genetic quality shared between me and him at all, rather they found other genetic characteristics, not mine. They even stated in this report that there is no way that a baby could not have even a single genetic characteristic from his father. Regardless of the outer resemblance, the newborn should bear some common features of his parents.Following this analysis, my wife went to her family waiting to be divorced, and I told them that the child will not be attributed to me and will not bear my name. Her family insisted on making Li`an (allegation of adultery against a wife, accompanied by mutual invoking of Allah’s Curse/Wrath if lying), and after many disputes and the involvement of some benevolent people, they proposed that she should swear by Allah in front of her father and me that this child is mine, which she actually did and returned home with me. To this very moment as I write this letter, I feel no peace of mind, rather I remain bewildered and suspicious.Is what I did pleasing to Allah, while I know and am convinced according to the blood tests that this baby is not my own? Am I considered as dayooth (one who does not protect his womenfolk), bearing in mind that we live together like strangers, and I always think of her infidelity in addition to not (Part No. 20; Page No. 332) having any paternal feelings for this child.My question is: Is her remaining as my wife Haram (prohibited), as I am sure that she committed Zina (sexual intercourse outside marriage) based on the blood test, bearing in mind that the child bears my name?

A: The child is yours, and what you did was wrong. You should not believe whomever convinced you otherwise and ward off any suspicions you might have, because of what was reported by Abu Hurayrah that a Bedouin came to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and said, "My wife has delivered a black child." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him, "Do you have camels?" He replied, "Yes." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "What color are they?" He replied, "They are red." The Prophet (peace be upon him) further asked, "Are any of them gray in color?" He replied, "Yes." The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him, "From where did that grayness come?" He said, "I think it descended from the camel's ancestors." Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said (to him), "Therefore, this child of yours has most probably inherited the color from his ancestors." And (Part No. 20; Page No. 333) he did not permit him to deny the child. (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim), and the wording is that of Al-Bukhari. It is also reported on the authority of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: The boy is for the bed (i.e. for the owner of the bed where he was born), and stone is for the adulterer. (Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.