Is a wife in Egypt obligated to fulfill her husband's request to take his daughter to live with her in Egypt, knowing the daughter's desire to stay with her mother?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The default rule is that the custody of a child belongs to the mother, unless there is a legitimate religious impediment. Thus, it is not permissible for the father to take his daughter away from her mother's custody unless the mother is unfit for custody. In such a case, the matter should be referred to the court for a ruling. If the court grants custody to the father, then there is no harm in his other wife having custody of the girl. It should be noted that the mother's established custody does not prevent the father from seeing his daughter, caring for her, and disciplining her.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/121177
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 121177
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy