custody from the point of view of imāmī jurisprudence and civil law

guardianship of children and observation over their education and various issues until they reach the age of puberty and development has been studied in shi’ite jurisprudence under the title of custody (ḥiḍānat). due to the importance of the above matter, different debates have been done with regard to the time of granting the custody of a child to one of the parents. having been done with descriptive-analytic method, the present study covered various ideas and opinions of the jurists and came to the following conclusions: firstly, the custody of children is a collective obligation (wājib-i kifā’ī) of the parents in order of priority and the mention of a specific age and time in narrations does not concern the exclusiveness of the child’s custody to one of the parents and his/her obligation. therefore, the transfer of custody with the consent of the parents and their eligibility or in suitable and appropriate condition would be possible and it mainly indicates the priority in assuming the said obligations. secondly, the priority of the mother for the custody of her child, whether a boy or a girl, is until the age of seven.