Article 72 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
المادة 72 من نظام الأحوال الشخصية · الفصل الثاني: النسب
If lineage is established under Article 67 of the law, a claim to deny it is not heard.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا ثبت النسب وفقاً لما تقضي به المادة (السابعة والستون) من هذا النظام، فلا تسمع الدعوى بنفيه.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 72 explained in plain English
This article sets a rule to protect the stability of lineage: if lineage is established as Article 67 provides, a claim to deny it is not heard.
Article 67 sets out the ways of establishing lineage: a child's lineage to his father is established by birth within a valid marriage contract, by acknowledgment or by evidence, and his lineage to his mother is established by proof of birth. Once lineage is established in one of these ways, the court does not accept a claim seeking to deny it.
The meaning of "a claim is not heard" is that the court does not consider its subject matter at all, so the established lineage remains in place.
However, the law provides a special route in the next article: Article 73 allows a man to deny the lineage of a child established by birth within the marriage contract through li'an, by means of a claim, on two conditions:
- The claim is filed within 15 days of the date he learned of the birth.
- The denial is not preceded by his acknowledgment of paternity, expressly or implicitly.
The two articles should therefore be read together to understand the limits within which established lineage may be challenged. Anyone facing such a matter would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in personal status matters.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 72 of the Saudi Personal Status Law
Can a claim be filed to deny established lineage?
If lineage is established under Article 67, a claim to deny it is not heard.
Is there a way to deny the lineage of a child born within the marriage contract?
Article 73 regulates denial of lineage through li'an by a claim filed within 15 days of learning of the birth, provided it is not preceded by an acknowledgment of paternity.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Lineage
- Article 24
The article permanently prohibits a man from marrying a woman against whom he performed li'an before the court, even if he later retracts his claim.
يحرم على التأبيد زواج الرجل من المرأة التي لاعنها أمام القضاء ولو أكذب نفسه.
- Article 34
The article provides that the court annuls a defective marriage, sets its effects before and after consummation, and applies its effects to a void marriage after consummation if the spouses did not know its ruling.
1- تفسخ المحكمة عقد الزواج الفاسد، ولا يترتب عليه أي أثر قبل الدخول إلا الطلاق إذا أوقعه الزوج فيقع بائناً بينونةً صغرى. 2- يترتب على الزواج الفاسد بعد الدخول م
- Article 67
A child's lineage to his father is established only by birth within a valid marriage contract, by acknowledgment or by evidence, and his lineage to his mother is established by proof of birth.
1- مع مراعاة حكم المادة (الرابعة والثلاثين) من هذا النظام، لا يثبت نسب الولد إلى أبيه إلا بالولادة في عقد زواج صحيح أو بالإقرار أو بالبينة. 2- يثبت نسب الولد إل
- Article 68
A child's lineage to his father is established if he is born during a valid marriage or after it ends before the maximum pregnancy period of 10 months passes, unless it is proved that the spouses could not have met.
1- يثبت نسب الولد إلى أبيه إذا ولد حال قيام عقد الزواج الصحيح أو بعد انتهائه قبل انقضاء مدة أكثر الحمل، ما لم يثبت عدم إمكان التلاقي بين الزوجين. 2- مدة أكثر ال
- Article 69
The article sets six conditions for establishing lineage by acknowledgment of paternity, even during a terminal illness, including that the child's lineage is unknown and the relationship is proved by DNA testing.
يشترط لثبوت النسب بالإقرار بالبنوة ولو في مرض الموت الآتي: 1- أن يكون المقر بالغاً عاقلاً مختاراً. 2- أن يكون الولد مجهول النسب. 3- أن يصدقه المقر له إن كان بال
- Article 70
The article allows the court to order DNA testing in exceptional cases, in a dispute over lineage or at the request of a competent body, provided the child's lineage is unknown and the age difference allows it.
للمحكمة في الأحوال الاستثنائية، أو عند التنازع في إثبات نسب الولد، أو بناءً على طلب جهة مختصة، أن تأمر بإجراء فحص الحمض النووي، وذلك وفق القواعد المنظمة لذلك، و
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.