The Limits of Prohibition in Breast-feeding
Question :
There are two women, the first has a son and the second has a daughter, and it happened that they were both breast-fed (by each other's mothers), so which of the siblings of the two breast-fed children are permissible to each other? Advise us, and may Allah reward you with goodness.
Answer:
If a woman breast-feeds a child five clear breast-feedings or more than five during the first two years, then the breast-fed child becomes a son to her and her husband, the owner of the milk. Then all of the woman's children from her husband who is the owner of the milk and from any other man are brothers and sisters to the child who was breast-fed. The children of the husband, the owner of the milk of the breast- feeding woman, and children from any other wife, become brothers and sisters to the breast-fed child. Her brothers become maternal uncles to him and the brothers of the husband, the owner of the milk, become paternal uncles to him. The father of the woman becomes a grandfather to the breast-fed child, and her mother a grandmother to the breast-fed child, and the father of the husband, the owner of the milk, becomes his grandfather, and his mother becomes his grandmother. This is based upor the Words of Allah, the All-Powerful, Most High, in Surat An- Nisa', regarding those women whom it is forbidden to marry:
"your foster mothers who suckled you, your foster milk suckling sisters."
And the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
"That which is forbidden due to kinship is forbidden due to breast- feeding."
And his saying:
"There is no breast-feeding except in the (first) two years."
And the confirmed narration in Sahih Muslim-may Allah have mercy on him in which 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her said: "It was revealed in the Qur'an that ten known breast feedings caused prohibition, then it was abrogated by five known breast-feedings. Then the Prophet ﷺ died and the matter remained thus." Narrated by At-Tirmithi with this wording and the basis of it is in Sahih Muslim.
Source:
Ibn Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 6 Pages 133-134-135
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