Is adoption permissible in Islamic law, and is there a difference between "al-ab" (father) and "al-walid" (parent), such that "al-ab" is the one who raises, and "al-walid" is the one who begot, and the evidence for this is Allah's saying: "Call them by [the names of] their fathers" and His saying: "to his father Azar," and did the mixing of the meanings of these terms by the Salaf lead to their error in legal rulings and understanding?

Adoption is forbidden in Islam because it obscures lineages, and we have been commanded to preserve them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "No man who claims to be the son of someone other than his father, while knowing it, has disbelieved. And whoever claims kinship with a people to whom he does not belong, let him take his seat in the Hellfire."

As for the statement that the 'walid' (parent) is the legal father and the 'ab' (father) is the adoptive parent, this is ignorance. The Holy Quran used the terms "al-ab" and "al-walid" with the same meaning, which is the direct biological father.

Furthermore, the reason for the revelation of the verse "Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah" indicates the prohibition of adoption, as it abrogated what was permissible at the beginning of Islam, namely, claiming foreign children as one's own.

And the use of "al-walid" or "al-ab" to mean a guardian or educator is a metaphorical use of language. It is not permissible to deny their true meaning. This matter is well-known and is not disputed except by someone ignorant of the Arabic language or the Quran.