Benefits of the Hadith: (… She said, “How can I breastfeed him when he is an old man?” So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled and said, “I know that he is an old man.”)

The Shaykh : In this hadith, there is the permissibility of a man smiling at a situation that amazes him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled. However, if there is a fear that the smile will break the heart of the person being smiled at, then we may say that it is better not to do so. This is because if a person smiles at someone’s statement, that person might say, “He is mocking me” or “He is making fun of me” or something similar. As for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), this possibility does not apply to him, but it does apply to others. So if we know that if we smile at this man’s statement or action, his heart will be broken, then it is better to be patient and not smile. Among the benefits of this hadith is that nursing an older woman or a mahram (a relative one may not marry) is considered blameworthy or strange, due to her saying, “How can I breastfeed him when he is an old man?” Yes.