A prominent Islamic cleric, Dr. Sharafdeen Gbadebo, has cautioned Muslim couples against using DNA tests to determine paternity, declaring the practice forbidden under Islamic law.
Speaking in a recent lecture delivered in Yoruba, Dr. Gbadebo said Islam provides clear guidance on child paternity, making scientific tests unnecessary and un-Islamic.
“Why would you (Muslims) do DNA tests? Islam does not allow us to doubt the paternity of a child conceived by a legally married wife. Anybody who engages in adultery will be entitled to nothing,” he explained.
The cleric highlighted Lian, an Islamic procedure for resolving doubts over paternity. Under this process, both husband and wife take solemn oaths before God. If the husband swears four times that the child is not his, invoking divine punishment if he lies, and the wife swears four times that the child belongs to her husband, the husband permanently loses the right to claim the child and the marriage may be annulled.
Dr. Gbadebo stressed that DNA tests have no place in Islam, even in cases of suspected infidelity:
“Two people engage in sex out of wedlock, and the child is born. Is there any DNA test in Islam that would grant the man paternity? None. It is forbidden. That child is always seen as a product of Zina.”
Contrasting the religious stance, Miss Aisha Ahmad, a medical scientist at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, emphasized the reliability of DNA testing for biological parentage.
“DNA tests are 99% accurate if conducted correctly. They remain the best way to determine paternity when there is doubt,” she said, clarifying that the cleric’s religious viewpoint does not undermine the scientific accuracy of DNA tests.
The debate highlights the tension between religious teachings and modern science, with Muslim couples being urged to follow Islamic guidance, while acknowledging the technical reliability of DNA testing in paternity disputes.
