According to Hanafi Law, a mother is entitled to the custody (Hizanat) of a male child till the age of:-

Under the classical Hanafi rule the mother has hizanat of a boy until he completes seven years. Custody is different from legal guardianship, and the child’s welfare remains important when a court decides custody; the age rule is not an automatic command disregarding welfare. Khatija Begum expressly states the Hanafi age distinction.

Current law: For matrimonial proceedings involving persons covered by Uttarakhand’s UCC from 27 January 2025, section 35 places child welfare first and ordinarily places a child below five with the mother. This statutory provision has a different scope and threshold from the historical Hanafi seven-year rule; neither should be presented as displacing welfare-based adjudication.