A man whose mother passed away when he was not yet seven months old; his grandmother took charge of his upbringing and breastfeeding. When he grew up, he wanted to marry one of his maternal aunt’s daughters, and he asked about it, and he was told:

The questioner : He says: My mother passed away when I was not yet seven months old, and my grandmother took charge of my upbringing and breastfeeding. It is known that her last child was seven years old at the time, and she did not have milk then, but with the continuation of breastfeeding, milk became available for her, and she breastfed me until I grew up. After reaching maturity, I wanted to marry one of my maternal aunt’s daughters, who is the daughter of this grandmother who breastfed me. I asked about that and was answered that it was permissible, and indeed I married her three years ago. However, I doubt the validity of this marriage. What is the ruling in this matter, and what is obligatory for me if it is not valid?

The Shaykh : If you were breastfed by your grandmother for this long period, which is more than five times, as you said, then you are her son because she breastfed you. Allah the Exalted named the wet nurse a mother, so He said: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Accordingly, you are a brother to all the children of this woman, who is your grandmother; you are a brother to all her children, both male and female.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : If that is the case, then your maternal aunt is your sister, and her daughters are your sister’s daughters, and you are their maternal uncle. It is not permissible for you to marry them. You must separate from this woman and stay away from her, because the marriage contract was not established. Yes.