Chapter on a Child Being Between Both Parents - Who Has More Right to Custody

مَا دَامَ الْوَلَدُ فِي الرَّضَاعِ فَهُوَ بَيْنَ الْأَبَوَيْنِ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ[6] فَإِذَا فُطِمَ فَالْأَبُ أَحَقُّ بِهِ مِنَ الْأُمِّ فَإِذَا مَاتَ الْأَبُ فَالْأُمُّ أَحَقُّ بِهِ مِنَ الْعَصَبَةِ وَ إِنْ وَجَدَ الْأَبُ مَنْ يُرْضِعُهُ‌ بِأَرْبَعَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَقَالَتِ الْأُمُّ لَا أُرْضِعُهُ إِلَّا بِخَمْسَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَإِنَّ لَهُ أَنْ يَنْزِعَهُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَنَّ خَيْراً لَهُ وَ أَرْفَقَ بِهِ أَنْ يَذَرَهُ مَعَ

Hadith.4501 - Al-Abbas ibn Amir al-Qasbani narrated from Dawud ibn al-Husayn, from Abu Abdillah (as) regarding the saying of Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic: "And the mothers shall suckle their children for two full years." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:233) Imam (as) said: "As long as the child is being nursed, the parents

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ رَجُلٍ طَلَّقَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَدٌ أَيُّهُمَا أَحَقُّ بِهِ قَالَ الْمَرْأَةُ مَا لَمْ تَتَزَوَّجْ.

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who divorced his wife, and they had a child between them. Which of them has more right to the child? Imam (as) said: "The mother, as long as she does not remarry."

أَيُّمَا امْرَأَةٍ حُرَّةٍ تَزَوَّجَتْ عَبْداً فَوَلَدَتْ مِنْهُ أَوْلَاداً فَهِيَ أَحَقُّ بِوُلْدِهَا مِنْهُ وَ هُمْ أَحْرَارٌ فَإِذَا أُعْتِقَ الرَّجُلُ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِوُلْدِهِ مِنْهَا لِمَوْضِعِ الْأَبِ.

"Any free woman who marries a slave and bears children from him, she has more right to her children than he does, and the children are free. However, if the man is emancipated, then he has more right to his children than she does because of his position as their father."

كَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ ع بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَتْ لِيَ امْرَأَةٌ وَ لِي مِنْهَا وَلَدٌ وَ خَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهَا فَكَتَبَ ع الْمَرْأَةُ أَحَقُّ بِالْوَلَدِ إِلَى أَنْ يَبْلُغَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ إِلَّا أَنْ تَشَاءَ الْمَرْأَةُ[3].

One of his (as) companions wrote to him, saying: "I had a wife, and I have a child from her, but I divorced her." Imam (as) wrote in reply: "The mother has more right to the child until the child reaches seven years of age, unless the mother chooses otherwise."