What is the ruling on a woman who claims she breastfed a child without evidence?
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The questioner : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers. After that, the questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward you. This happened when I married a woman, and after a year, my father-in-law’s wife said that she had breastfed my wife’s father. I asked about the ruling on this, and I was told that it would separate us. But I went to verify this with the woman who claimed the breastfeeding. First, she admitted to the breastfeeding, but then she retracted her statement and said she did not remember. Sometimes she says she is insane,
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : and sometimes she says she made that claim to prevent my wife’s father from marrying his granddaughter’s daughter. What is required? Should I summon this woman to the judge to prove her claim and its denial? May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Regarding this testimony of breastfeeding, we must know that the breastfeeding must have occurred in a manner that establishes the prohibition. It is not sufficient for the woman to simply say, “I breastfed this man” or “I breastfed this woman.” We must ask, we must ask how many times she breastfed?
If she says the number of breastfeedings was three, does that establish the ruling of breastfeeding? No, it does not. Four? No, it does not. Five? Yes, it does. The breastfeeding must be five times or more, meaning she breastfed five times, for example, on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, or for example, on Saturday at one o’clock, then two o’clock, then three o’clock, then four o’clock, then five o’clock. As for saying she breastfed only, her testimony has no ruling. Even if she says, “I breastfed, but I do not know if it was five times or less or more?” We say there is no value to the testimony. The testimony must be for five breastfeedings. Based on this, if this woman is sane and trustworthy, we ask her how many times she breastfed? Although what appears from her words is that she is a woman who is not steady and that she only wants to disturb the atmosphere.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : and sometimes she says she made that claim to prevent my wife’s father from marrying his granddaughter’s daughter. What is required? Should I summon this woman to the judge to prove her claim and its denial? May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Regarding this testimony of breastfeeding, we must know that the breastfeeding must have occurred in a manner that establishes the prohibition. It is not sufficient for the woman to simply say, “I breastfed this man” or “I breastfed this woman.” We must ask, we must ask how many times she breastfed?
If she says the number of breastfeedings was three, does that establish the ruling of breastfeeding? No, it does not. Four? No, it does not. Five? Yes, it does. The breastfeeding must be five times or more, meaning she breastfed five times, for example, on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, or for example, on Saturday at one o’clock, then two o’clock, then three o’clock, then four o’clock, then five o’clock. As for saying she breastfed only, her testimony has no ruling. Even if she says, “I breastfed, but I do not know if it was five times or less or more?” We say there is no value to the testimony. The testimony must be for five breastfeedings. Based on this, if this woman is sane and trustworthy, we ask her how many times she breastfed? Although what appears from her words is that she is a woman who is not steady and that she only wants to disturb the atmosphere.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، لقاء[11 من 15] ما حكم من تدعي أنها أرضعت طفلا بدون بينة؟!! الشيخ ابن عثيمين - مشروع كبار العلماء — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
