The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

Issue No. 2115- There is no problem in a woman suckling the child of her son.

Issue No. 2117- As was said in the previous issue if a child is breastfed by a woman for one day and night, the suckling becomes the cause of being maḥram. In order to become maḥram by suckling it is necessary that the child does not take any food during the one day and night and also does not suck the milk of any other woman. However, if he takes so little food that people do not consider that he has taken food in between, there is no harm in it. Moreover, the child who sucks the milk of one woman fifteen times should not suck the milk of any other woman during these fifteen times, and each time it should suck milk to its fill. Hence, as an obligatory precaution, two times suckling which is incomplete, will be counted neither as two times nor as one.

Issue No. 2118- If a woman suckles several children from the milk of one husband, all of them will be maḥram to one another, and to the woman who has suckled them as well as to her husband. In case a man has more than one wife, and each one of them suckles a child fully, all the children become maḥram to each other as well as to the wives and the husband.

Issue No. 2119- If a woman suckles a baby boy and a baby girl fully by the milk related to one husband, they become maḥram to each other, but their sister and brother won’t become maḥram to each other.

Issue No. 2120- A man cannot marry his wife’s nieces from suckling without her permission, and also the obligatory precaution is that if (God forbid) a person commits sodomy with a boy, he should not marry the boy’s mother, daughter and sister from suckling.

Issue No. 2122- A man cannot marry two sisters although they may be sisters by means of sucking milk. In case however, he marries two women and understands later that they are sisters, the first marriage will be valid, and the second will be void, and if he married them at the same time, both the marriages will be void.

Issue No. 2123- If a woman suckles the following persons from her husband’s milk, her husband does not become haram to her, although it is better for her not to do so.1- Her own brother and sister.2- Her own paternal and maternal uncle and aunt.3- The children of her paternal and maternal uncles.4- Her own nephew (brother’s son).5- The brother or sister of her husband.6- The children of her own sister or children of her husband’s sister.7- The paternal and maternal uncles or aunts of her husband.8- The grandchildren of another wife of her husband.

Issue No. 2124- If a woman suckles the paternal aunt's daughter or maternal aunt's daughter of a man she (the woman who suckles) does not become maḥram to that man. However, the recommended precaution is that he should refrain from marrying that woman.

Issue No. 2126- There is no one better and worthier than a child’s mother to suckle him, and it is better that she does not claim any wages from her husband for suckling the child. However, she is entitled to do so, and if the mother demands more wages as compared with a wet nurse, her husband can entrust his child to the wet nurse.

Issue No. 2128- It is recommended that a woman avoids suckling any and every child, because it is possible that she may forget which of them she has suckled, and later two persons who are maḥram may contract marriage. Especially at the present time that because of the availability of baby formula and the like there is less need to suckle other children.

Issue No. 2129- It is recommended that people who become relatives because of suckling respect one another. However, they do not inherit from one another and do not enjoy the legal rights which relatives enjoy over one another.

Issue No. 2130- It is recommended that if possible, one should breastfeed her child for two full years.