Are Step Siblings From Each Other’s Unmarriageable Kin (Mahram)?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

If two individuals who are divorced and have kids from their previous marriages marry, what is the shariah ruling (mahram or non-mahram) regarding the kids from the previous marriages?

Answer: Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah,

No, step siblings are not from each other’s unmarriageable kin (mahram).

As such, the girl would need to cover up in front of the stepbrother.

This is contrary to half-siblings who are in fact actual siblings.

Please see also: Who is Mahram

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.