An-Nawawi's Forty HadithHadith 44

What breastfeeding makes unlawful

ما يحرم بالرضاع

Breastfeeding creates the same bars to marriage as birth: a milk-mother and milk-siblings are like a mother and siblings for marriage.

Sahih

The hadith

الرَّضَاعَةُ تُحَرِّمُ مَا تُحَرِّمُ الْوِلاَدَةُ

Narrated `Amra bint `Abdur-Rahman:`Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) told her that once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was with her and she heard somebody asking permission to enter Hafsa's house. She said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This man is asking permission to enter your house." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "I think he is so-and-so (meaning the foster uncle of Hafsa). What is rendered illegal because of blood relations, is also rendered illegal because of the corresponding foster-relations

Reported by
al-Bukhari, Muslim
Added by
Ibn Rajab, completing the fifty of Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam

Lessons

Ibn Rajab explains that a valid breastfeeding makes the child a son or daughter of the woman who nursed it, and of the man whose milk it was. Her mothers, sisters and daughters, and his, become forbidden in marriage just as by birth, and so does marrying two women who would be forbidden together by birth.

The bar reaches the nursed child and its descendants, not its brothers, sisters or parents. It concerns marriage and being unveiled before relatives; it does not make anyone an heir. Its conditions (how many feedings and up to what age) are discussed by the jurists. In practice: families should keep track of who was nursed by whom, so that no unlawful marriage is made unknowingly.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 3105

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ عَمْرَةَ ابْنَةِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَخْبَرَتْهَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ عِنْدَهَا، وَأَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ صَوْتَ إِنْسَانٍ يَسْتَأْذِنُ فِي بَيْتِ حَفْصَةَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَذَا رَجُلٌ يَسْتَأْذِنُ فِي بَيْتِكَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ أُرَاهُ فُلاَنًا، لِعَمِّ حَفْصَةَ مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ، الرَّضَاعَةُ تُحَرِّمُ مَا تُحَرِّمُ الْوِلاَدَةُ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Amra bint `Abdur-Rahman:`Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) told her that once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was with her and she heard somebody asking permission to enter Hafsa's house. She said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! This man is asking permission to enter your house." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) replied, "I think he is so-and-so (meaning the foster uncle of Hafsa). What is rendered illegal because of blood relations, is also rendered illegal because of the corresponding foster-relations

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