Caring for and sponsoring an orphan or abandoned child is among the most beloved deeds in Islam, but the pre-Islamic form of adoption (tabannī) — attributing the child to someone other than his real father — is forbidden, because it falsifies lineage and creates false rights of inheritance and mahram status. The child keeps his own family name where it is known, and once he or she reaches puberty the ordinary rulings of ḥijāb and mahram apply within the household, unless a valid breastfeeding relationship (raḍāʿah) was established in infancy. The child does not inherit automatically as a son or daughter, but the guardian may leave him up to one third of the estate by bequest or give him a gift in his lifetime. Allah said: "Call them by [the names of] their fathers; that is more just in the sight of Allah" (Qur'an 33:5), and the Prophet ﷺ said, "I and the sponsor of an orphan will be in Paradise like this," gesturing with two fingers.
Q&A · Rulings
Is adoption permissible in Islam?
Evidence — the daleel
Quran 33:4Quran 33:5Sahih al-Bukhari 6005 (Kitab al-Adab) — Sahl ibn Sa'd: "I and the person who looks after an orphan will be in Paradise like this" ṢaḥīḥSahih Muslim 2983 — same meaning, narrated by Abu Hurayrah Ṣaḥīḥ
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Informational, not a personal fatwa. Consult a qualified scholar for rulings on your situation.