Does breastfeeding an adult have any effect?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Breastfeeding an adult, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Or breastfeeding an adult and entering upon him and being alone with him, is that permissible, I mean?
The Shaykh : Breastfeeding an adult?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, an adult man is breastfed?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is that his intention?
The student: Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : Yes, breastfeeding an adult has no effect, because breastfeeding only takes effect during the two years in which a person grows rapidly. As for an adult, his breastfeeding has no effect at all. If someone were to ask: What is the evidence? We would say: The evidence is from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1171Sahih (Darussalam). And "beware of me" means a warning. They said: O Messenger of Allah, what about the in-laws? The in-laws are the husband's relatives. He said: . means, beware of them as you would beware of death. If breastfeeding an adult were permissible, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have said that the in-law is breastfed by the woman and becomes her son. But when he turned away from that, despite the need for such a ruling, it is known that breastfeeding an adult is of no benefit. Then, breastfeeding an adult carries a danger, O our brothers. If a wife does not want her husband and she has milk, she devises a trick. She brings him a bottle of milk in the morning, which she milked from her breast five days ago. If she breastfeeds him for five days, he becomes her son and becomes forbidden to her. And this is problematic. If someone were to ask: What do you say about the story of Salim the freed slave?
The student: Hudhayfah.
The Shaykh : Yes, we say that the story of Salim is a unique case. It is not possible for a similar case to exist, because Salim had been adopted and had become in the position of a son. He would enter the house and be alone with the woman. So Allah the Exalted invalidated adoption. Then his wife came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to complain, saying: We cannot guard ourselves from Salim. He said to her:. He is an adult, breastfeed him and he will become forbidden to you. But this is a special case that cannot occur after the invalidation of adoption. Therefore, there is no evidence in his hadith that breastfeeding an adult is permissible and that it has an effect. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Well, but on the view that it has no effect, which is the stronger and correct view, if a woman breastfeeds her husband, because some husbands play with their wife's breast and suck the breast. If she did this five times, what would happen? Nothing. Nothing. But it is said to him: Do not do this, because some scholars say that breastfeeding an adult has an effect like breastfeeding a child, and leave the danger. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Or breastfeeding an adult and entering upon him and being alone with him, is that permissible, I mean?
The Shaykh : Breastfeeding an adult?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, an adult man is breastfed?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Is that his intention?
The student: Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : Yes, breastfeeding an adult has no effect, because breastfeeding only takes effect during the two years in which a person grows rapidly. As for an adult, his breastfeeding has no effect at all. If someone were to ask: What is the evidence? We would say: The evidence is from the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
Beware of entering upon women.
إياكم والدخول على النساءThe relative is death
الحمو الموتThe relative is death
الحمو الموتThe student: Hudhayfah.
The Shaykh : Yes, we say that the story of Salim is a unique case. It is not possible for a similar case to exist, because Salim had been adopted and had become in the position of a son. He would enter the house and be alone with the woman. So Allah the Exalted invalidated adoption. Then his wife came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to complain, saying: We cannot guard ourselves from Salim. He said to her:
Breastfeed him, and he will become prohibited for you
أرضعيه تحرمي عليهThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Well, but on the view that it has no effect, which is the stronger and correct view, if a woman breastfeeds her husband, because some husbands play with their wife's breast and suck the breast. If she did this five times, what would happen? Nothing. Nothing. But it is said to him: Do not do this, because some scholars say that breastfeeding an adult has an effect like breastfeeding a child, and leave the danger. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.