Your children after divorce

Under Islamic family law, mothers usually have first claim to custody of young children, while fathers remain responsible for child maintenance. The final decision always turns on the child’s welfare.

A father without custody keeps a right to see his children. If maintenance goes unpaid, the court can make an order and enforce it.

Core topics

Hadhanah: keeping your children after divorceYou want to know who keeps the children, and whether the process will be fair to both parents.Hak lawatan: your right to see your childYou want real, workable time with your child, enforceable if the other parent blocks you.Nafkah anak: getting maintenance for your childYou want to know how child maintenance is decided, and what to do when it stops arriving.

Related guides

Process and procedureHow to claim child maintenance step by stepYou want a clear order in place, not another promise that gets broken.Process and procedureHow to get a child access orderYou want real, dependable time with your child, set out clearly by the court.Start hereMoving with your children to another stateYou want a fresh start in another state, and you are not sure what that means for custody.Start hereThe age rules for hadhanah explainedYou want to know exactly when a mother's custody right ends, and what happens after.Start hereWhat to do when access is blockedYou keep being turned away from your own child, and you want it to actually stop.Start hereWho actually gets custody after divorceYou want a straight answer about who keeps the children once the marriage ends.Start hereYour child's passport and travel after divorceYou want to know whether you can renew a passport or travel with your child without a fight.Real-life situationsChild maintenance after eighteen if still studyingYour child is continuing their studies and you are not sure whether maintenance still continues.Real-life situationsDoes a mother lose hadhanah if she remarriesYou want to remarry but worry this means losing custody of your children.Myths and factsDoes the mother always get custody?Someone told you the mother always keeps the children, and you want to know if that is true.Real-life situationsFather can't afford custody, who gets hadhanahYour husband worries he cannot afford to raise the children alone, and you wonder who actually qualifies.Costs and timelinesHow much child maintenance can you getYou need a realistic sense of the amount before you go into a claim.

Explore other topics

Choosing your Syariah divorce routeEvery marriage ends in its own way. Start with the route that matches your story.Money and property after divorceDivorce does not end your financial rights. Know what you can claim.Syariah divorce in your stateIslamic family law is run state by state. Start where you live or where you married.When it is unsafe or he refusesYou deserve to be safe, and you can leave a marriage. There is a way even if he refuses.