Transliteration:( Ud'oohum li aabaaa'ihim huwa aqsatu 'indal laah; fa illam ta'lamooo aabaaa'ahum fa ikhwaanukum fid deeni wa mawaaleekum; wa laisa 'alaikum junaahun feemaaa akhtaatum bihee wa laakim maa ta'ammadat quloobukum; wa kaanal laahu Ghafoorar Raheemaa )
"Call [8] them after their fathers. This is more justified in the sight of Allah. But if you do not know their fathers, then they are brothers in faith, and your friends [9]. And there is no sin on you regarding which you made a mistake unintentionally [10]. But that is a sin which you may commit with the intention [11] of your heart. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
This verse establishes the Islamic rule of lineage. Children must be called by the name of their biological fathers. This clearly shows that Hazrat Isa (On whom be peace) did not have a biological father—hence he is referred to as Isa bin Maryam, not by any man’s name. Allah commands: "Call them after their fathers", thus emphasizing biological lineage over adopted titles.
If the biological fathers are unknown, then the child should not be falsely attributed to anyone. Instead, use respectful terms like:
"Brother in faith" (Akh fi-d-Deen)
"Friend" or "Maula" (which may mean a freed slave, benefactor, or companion depending on context)
This preserves the dignity of the person without fabricating lineage.
If someone mistakenly or unknowingly referred to an adopted child as their son before the ruling was revealed, or even by slip of tongue, such actions are not sinful. This shows Allah’s compassion and mercy in not holding people accountable for unintentional mistakes, especially when committed prior to Divine instruction.
However, after the command has been revealed, to intentionally call someone the son of a person who is not their father becomes a sinful act. This part of the verse distinguishes between honest mistakes and willful defiance, reminding us of the importance of aligning speech with truth and Divine instruction.
Conclusion:
This verse lays down a critical principle in Islamic social order—that of preserving the integrity of lineage and being mindful of one’s words, with Allah showing both strictness in truth and mercy in unintentional error.
The tafsir of Surah Ahzab verse 5 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Ahzab ayat 4 which provides the complete commentary from verse 4 through 5.
(33:5) Call your adopted sons after their true fathers; that is more equitable in the sight of Allah.[8] But if you do not know their true fathers, then regard them as your brethren in faith and as allies.[9] You will not be taken to task for your mistaken utterances, but you will be taken to task for what you say deliberately.[10] Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Compassionate.[11]
8. The first reform introduced in connection with the implementation of this command was that Zaid, the adopted son of the Prophet (peace be upon him), began to be called Zaid bin Harithah, after his real father, instead of Zaid bin Muhammad. Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Nasai have related this tradition from Abdullah bin Umar that in the beginning the people called him Zaid bin Muhammad. After the revelation of this verse they began calling him Zaid bin Harithah. Moreover, after this revelation it was forbidden that a person should assign his parentage to any other man than his own real father. Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Daud have related on the authority of Saad bin Abi Waqqas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Paradise is forbidden for the one who called himself son of another person than his own father.” Other traditions bearing on the subject have been related in Ahadith, which have regarded this as a heinous sin.
9. That is, even in such a case it will not be right to ascribe the parentage of a person to someone else.
10. It means: there is no harm if a person is called a son out of love. Likewise, there is no sin if someone calls another one a mother, or a daughter, or sister or brother, etc. out of affection and regard, but if such a thing is said with the intention that the one being called so will be accorded the same status and position and rights and privileges as actually belong to these relations, it would certainly be objectionable and one will be held answerable for it.”
11. That is, Allah has forgiven the errors already committed in this regard; no one will be called to account for them. Another meaning is: Allah does not call a people to account for actions done unintentionally. He will not punish a person for doing something which he did not do intentionally, although apparently it resembled a forbidden act.
[1181]- Those children under your care.
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