A woman spread the rumor that she breastfed me and my wife, then denied it. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah in this matter?
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, I am a young man who married about eight years ago, and I have four children from her. All my relatives gathered at my wedding, but after six years, a rumor spread that my uncle's wife thought she had breastfed us. Please note that there was enmity between us and our uncle, and please note that she did not specify the number of breastfeedings. When I informed the wife's father and mother, they hurried to my uncle's wife's house to ask about the truth. When they went to her, she said, "I did not say this word; it is a lie against me and a rumor." Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling in this issue? Is her statement accepted if she says this, or not? Are we allowed to treat her in an inappropriate manner? Is there a penalty in Islamic Shari'ah for a woman like this, so that a woman does not speak without certainty, if this is established against her? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The default is that the marriage is valid until it is established before the judge that this woman breastfed you and breastfed your wife, each of you, five times within the two-year period. If this is established before the judge—that she breastfed each of you five times within the two-year period—then she becomes your sister through breastfeeding, and it is not permissible for you to keep her. What has passed is forgiven because it was under doubt. As for what has not been established, and is merely a rumor, especially if there is some enmity or slander involved, the default is that the marriage remains, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, I am a young man who married about eight years ago, and I have four children from her. All my relatives gathered at my wedding, but after six years, a rumor spread that my uncle's wife thought she had breastfed us. Please note that there was enmity between us and our uncle, and please note that she did not specify the number of breastfeedings. When I informed the wife's father and mother, they hurried to my uncle's wife's house to ask about the truth. When they went to her, she said, "I did not say this word; it is a lie against me and a rumor." Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling in this issue? Is her statement accepted if she says this, or not? Are we allowed to treat her in an inappropriate manner? Is there a penalty in Islamic Shari'ah for a woman like this, so that a woman does not speak without certainty, if this is established against her? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The default is that the marriage is valid until it is established before the judge that this woman breastfed you and breastfed your wife, each of you, five times within the two-year period. If this is established before the judge—that she breastfed each of you five times within the two-year period—then she becomes your sister through breastfeeding, and it is not permissible for you to keep her. What has passed is forgiven because it was under doubt. As for what has not been established, and is merely a rumor, especially if there is some enmity or slander involved, the default is that the marriage remains, and praise be to Allah. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، امرأة اشاعت أنها أرضعتني أنا وزوجتي، ثم أنكرت، فما حكم الشريعة في ذلك؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.