Determination of a Child’s Lineage in Genetic Donation-Based Reproductive Technology: A Contemporary Islamic Legal Perspective

The development of reproductive technologies involving genetic donation decouples the marital, genetic, biological, gestational, and legal elements involved in procreation, thereby raising new issues regarding the criteria for establishing lineage in contemporary Islamic law. Existing fiqh debates tend to address reproductive technologies in a fragmented manner and fail to adequately resolve conflicts arising when genetic, biological, gestational, and legal parental identities reside in different individuals. This study aims to analyze the criteria for establishing lineage in reproduction involving genetic donation, compare contemporary Islamic legal arguments, and formulate a normative framework based on maqāṣid al-sharīʿah (the objectives of Sharia) that ensures certainty regarding a child’s identity and civil rights. Employing a normative legal research methodology, this study utilizes conceptual, statutory, and comparative approaches to analyze the Qur’an, Hadith, classical fiqh, contemporary fatwās, regulations, and academic literature. Sources were selected based on doctrinal relevance, classified according to marital status, genetic connection, gestation, and legal status, and analyzed through the principle of ḥifẓ al-nasl (preservation of lineage). The findings indicate that the marital relationship and the principle of firāsh (valid marriage as the basis for the legitimacy of a child’s status) remain the primary foundations for establishing lineage within Islamic legal constructs; conversely, a donor’s genetic contribution does not automatically create a lineage relationship or entail consequences regarding inheritance, guardianship, or maintenance nafaqah. Gestational ties are particularly significant in identifying maternity, while legal status must be determined based on a valid marriage and applicable legal provisions. Maqāṣid al-sharīʿah establishes the protection of a child’s identity, the clarity of lineage, and the certainty of civil rights as key evaluation parameters. This framework underscores the need to distinguish between genetic origins and legal lineage without compromising child protection.