Does breastfeeding have an effect if the child is older than four years?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : A woman breastfed a child who was more than four years old, five times or more.
The Shaykh : Breastfed
The questioner : And this woman, Allah provided her with
The Shaykh : Repeat, repeat the sentence.
The questioner : A woman breastfed a child whose age is more than
The Shaykh : Child?
The questioner : Child
The Shaykh : Child is the subject, and there is no object.
The questioner : Breastfed a child whose age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : More. More?
The questioner : More
The Shaykh : Incorrect. More, this is correct. His age is more; this is the subject and the predicate.
The questioner : More than four years, five breastfeedings or more.
The Shaykh : Incorrect, five breastfeedings.
The questioner : He wrote five.
The Shaykh : Even if you agree with him in the error.
The questioner : Let us read, O Shaykh.
And this woman, Allah provided her with a son. And this child came and wants to marry his son; is it permissible for him to marry her?
The Shaykh : The wet nurse, a daughter came to her.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : The breastfed child wants to marry the daughter.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : It is well known that if a woman breastfeeds a child, she becomes his mother, on the condition that the breastfeedings are five and that they occur during the period of breastfeeding. And if she becomes his mother, then all her children, whether from the husband or from a previous husband or from a later husband, are siblings, what? To this breastfed child. But if her children are from the husband whom she breastfed while she was pregnant with him, then her children are full siblings; and if they are from a husband before him or after him, then they are siblings to him through the mother.
And based on this, the child who was breastfed by a woman who gave birth to a daughter cannot marry this daughter, because she is what? His sister through breastfeeding. And Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:23].
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1445i.
The questioner : The child's age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The child's age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : More than four?
The questioner : Yes. Older than four years.
The Shaykh : If the conditions are not met, the questioner says that the age of this child is more than four years. The conditions are not met if he was breastfed outside the time of breastfeeding, so its existence is like non-existence. And for this reason, some people ask a strange question. They say: A husband was breastfed by his wife; is she forbidden to him or not? Please.
The student: She is not forbidden, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Why?
The student: Because the milk comes from his own water.
The Shaykh : The milk comes from her; how does it come from her? It is not from his water.
The student: The milk that he breastfed from her, its origin does not come except from the man's water.
The Shaykh : We have not heard of this. The child is the one who is from the man's water. As for the milk, it is from the woman's breast. Is this a joke? Well, yes.
The student: He is not of the age of breastfeeding.
The Shaykh : Well done. A condition was violated, because if a man were breastfed by his wife, she would not become forbidden to him, why? Because it is not in the time of breastfeeding. And what indicates this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:. Meaning, beware of it more; just as you flee from death, flee from the danger of the in-law.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that the wife should breastfeed him. And if breastfeeding an adult were forbidden, there would have been a solution to this problem, because a man might have a brother in the house and no house other than his brother's house, and he is in dire necessity to enter, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that the wife should breastfeed him so that he would become her son. This indicates that breastfeeding an adult is not considered. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2647 Meaning, the effective breastfeeding is that which removes hunger, and this does not occur except before weaning.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The student: He was breastfed by the wife of Abu Hudhayfah.
The Shaykh : Yes, two men among those present said that the jurists said: The chapter on breastfeeding an adult. And another said: What is the answer to the story of Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah?
As for the statement of the jurists, "The chapter on breastfeeding an adult," they mean by it to clarify that breastfeeding an adult has no effect. And as for the story of Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, the scholars have three opinions regarding it:
The first: That it was abrogated.
And the second: That it was specific to him.
And the third: That it is general, but it does not apply except to one who was in a situation like Salim's.
And Salim's situation is impossible at the present time, because Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, was adopted by Abu Hudhayfah, meaning he made him his son, and adoption was abolished by Islam. And based on this, it is not possible for a situation like Salim's to exist, because adoption is invalid. And thus it becomes clear that breastfeeding must be in its proper time. Yes. Did you understand?
The Shaykh : Breastfed
The questioner : And this woman, Allah provided her with
The Shaykh : Repeat, repeat the sentence.
The questioner : A woman breastfed a child whose age is more than
The Shaykh : Child?
The questioner : Child
The Shaykh : Child is the subject, and there is no object.
The questioner : Breastfed a child whose age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : More. More?
The questioner : More
The Shaykh : Incorrect. More, this is correct. His age is more; this is the subject and the predicate.
The questioner : More than four years, five breastfeedings or more.
The Shaykh : Incorrect, five breastfeedings.
The questioner : He wrote five.
The Shaykh : Even if you agree with him in the error.
The questioner : Let us read, O Shaykh.
And this woman, Allah provided her with a son. And this child came and wants to marry his son; is it permissible for him to marry her?
The Shaykh : The wet nurse, a daughter came to her.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : The breastfed child wants to marry the daughter.
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : It is well known that if a woman breastfeeds a child, she becomes his mother, on the condition that the breastfeedings are five and that they occur during the period of breastfeeding. And if she becomes his mother, then all her children, whether from the husband or from a previous husband or from a later husband, are siblings, what? To this breastfed child. But if her children are from the husband whom she breastfed while she was pregnant with him, then her children are full siblings; and if they are from a husband before him or after him, then they are siblings to him through the mother.
And based on this, the child who was breastfed by a woman who gave birth to a daughter cannot marry this daughter, because she is what? His sister through breastfeeding. And Allah the Exalted said:
your [milk] mothers who nursed you, your sisters through nursing
وأمهاتكم اللاتي أرضعنكم وأخواتكم من الرضاعةAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
on account of fosterage as one is Mahram on account of consanguinity
يحرم من الرضاعة ما يحرم من النسبThe questioner : The child's age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The child's age is more than four years.
The Shaykh : More than four?
The questioner : Yes. Older than four years.
The Shaykh : If the conditions are not met, the questioner says that the age of this child is more than four years. The conditions are not met if he was breastfed outside the time of breastfeeding, so its existence is like non-existence. And for this reason, some people ask a strange question. They say: A husband was breastfed by his wife; is she forbidden to him or not? Please.
The student: She is not forbidden, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Why?
The student: Because the milk comes from his own water.
The Shaykh : The milk comes from her; how does it come from her? It is not from his water.
The student: The milk that he breastfed from her, its origin does not come except from the man's water.
The Shaykh : We have not heard of this. The child is the one who is from the man's water. As for the milk, it is from the woman's breast. Is this a joke? Well, yes.
The student: He is not of the age of breastfeeding.
The Shaykh : Well done. A condition was violated, because if a man were breastfed by his wife, she would not become forbidden to him, why? Because it is not in the time of breastfeeding. And what indicates this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Beware of entering upon women - meaning, be cautious - they said: O Messenger of Allah, what about the in-law? - and the in-law is the husband's relative - he said: The in-law is death
إياكم والدخول على النساء - يعني احذروا - قالوا : يا رسول الله أرايت الحمو؟ - والحمو هو قريب الزوج- قال: الحمو الموتAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that the wife should breastfeed him. And if breastfeeding an adult were forbidden, there would have been a solution to this problem, because a man might have a brother in the house and no house other than his brother's house, and he is in dire necessity to enter, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that the wife should breastfeed him so that he would become her son. This indicates that breastfeeding an adult is not considered. And it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
as fostership is only valid if it takes place in the suckling period (before two years of age).
إنما الرضاعة من المجاعةThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The student: He was breastfed by the wife of Abu Hudhayfah.
The Shaykh : Yes, two men among those present said that the jurists said: The chapter on breastfeeding an adult. And another said: What is the answer to the story of Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah?
As for the statement of the jurists, "The chapter on breastfeeding an adult," they mean by it to clarify that breastfeeding an adult has no effect. And as for the story of Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, the scholars have three opinions regarding it:
The first: That it was abrogated.
And the second: That it was specific to him.
And the third: That it is general, but it does not apply except to one who was in a situation like Salim's.
And Salim's situation is impossible at the present time, because Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah, was adopted by Abu Hudhayfah, meaning he made him his son, and adoption was abolished by Islam. And based on this, it is not possible for a situation like Salim's to exist, because adoption is invalid. And thus it becomes clear that breastfeeding must be in its proper time. Yes. Did you understand?