Faraid Inheritance Rights for Muslim Children Born out of Wedlock under Administration of Muslim Law Act

Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs for the list of circumstances in which a Muslim child who was born out of wedlock (i) can and (ii) cannot be recognised as a faraid beneficiary under the Administration of Muslim Law Act.

According to the ruling of the Legal (Fatwa) Committee, which is chaired by the Mufti, a Muslim child born out of wedlock is eligible to be a beneficiary under Muslim inheritance law (Faraid) if the deceased is the child's biological mother or a maternal relative, but not if the deceased is the child's biological father or a paternal relative.