The Maximum Period of Gestation
Legal and Medical Conundrum of Child’s Legitimacy under Islamic Law
Abstract
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The legitimacy of a child born to a legally married couple is indubitable. However, it becomes problematic when a woman appears to be pregnant for a longer time period than the usual period of gestation following her husband’s demise or after the completion of the waiting period (istibra). The unavailability of definitive legal texts (nusūs) either from the Qur’ān or Sunnah for the maximum period of gestation has triggered exerting
independent juristic reasoning (ijtihad) by Muslim scholars. Therefore, this paper explores scholars’ dissent and legal implications for the maximum period of gestation from the classical Islamic literature buttressed with scientific medical perspectives. The paper adopts a qualitative doctrinal approach by revisiting classical books along with the available modern literature. The research finds that even though most of the views held by classical scholars are inconsistent with the modern medical perspective with the exception of the Zahiri School of Law, exceptional cases cannot be ruled out.
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