Ala-Maududi
(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.
