It is stated that there is a woman who has daughters and whose husband has passed away. She breastfed her husband’s older brothers’ sons along with her eldest daughter for several feedings, the number of which is not remembered.
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The questioner : It is stated in it that there is a woman who has daughters and whose husband has passed away. She breastfed her husband’s older brothers’ sons along with her eldest daughter for several feedings, the number of which is not remembered, and she breastfed her youngest son along with her youngest daughter for more than a week, without breastfeeding her middle son. Is it permissible for the middle son to marry her youngest daughter, who was breastfed along with his younger brother but not with him?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The questioner asks: Is it permissible for her middle son to marry her youngest daughter, who was breastfed along with his younger brother? The correct phrasing is: the one with whom his younger brother was breastfed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because this daughter did not breastfeed from the mother, meaning the mother of this middle son. Rather, the scenario is that the woman who has three children had her eldest son and her youngest son breastfed by their paternal uncle’s wife.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the paternal uncle’s wife has daughters. Is it permissible for the brother of these two men who were breastfed by their uncle’s wife to marry one of their uncle’s daughters? We say: Yes, it is permissible for him to marry one of his uncle’s daughters, whether it is one of the daughters with whom his brothers were breastfed, or one of other daughters.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is because we must know that the ruling of breastfeeding does not extend beyond the breastfed person himself and his descendants only. Breastfeeding does not extend to his ancestors or the descendants of his ancestors.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : With this principle, many problems that are frequently asked about become clear. To clarify once more: if a person is breastfed by a woman with a legally valid amount of breastfeeding, he becomes her son, and her children, both male and female, become his siblings. Her brothers become his maternal uncles, and her sisters become his maternal aunts. He also becomes a son to the one to whom her milk is attributed, so her husband becomes his father through breastfeeding, and her husband’s brothers become his paternal uncles through breastfeeding. This ruling extends to the descendants of the breastfed person, meaning to his offspring.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the siblings of the breastfed person, and his father and mother, breastfeeding has absolutely no effect on them. It does not affect them at all. They are strangers with respect to this breastfed person, and with respect to those who were prohibited from marrying him due to breastfeeding, they are not prohibited relatives.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Accordingly, the middle son, who is the middle son of the uncle, is allowed to take one of the daughters of his deceased uncle?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from Sa'diyah Muhammad from Makkah al-Mukarramah, Al-Mansour Street.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The questioner asks: Is it permissible for her middle son to marry her youngest daughter, who was breastfed along with his younger brother? The correct phrasing is: the one with whom his younger brother was breastfed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because this daughter did not breastfeed from the mother, meaning the mother of this middle son. Rather, the scenario is that the woman who has three children had her eldest son and her youngest son breastfed by their paternal uncle’s wife.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the paternal uncle’s wife has daughters. Is it permissible for the brother of these two men who were breastfed by their uncle’s wife to marry one of their uncle’s daughters? We say: Yes, it is permissible for him to marry one of his uncle’s daughters, whether it is one of the daughters with whom his brothers were breastfed, or one of other daughters.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is because we must know that the ruling of breastfeeding does not extend beyond the breastfed person himself and his descendants only. Breastfeeding does not extend to his ancestors or the descendants of his ancestors.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : With this principle, many problems that are frequently asked about become clear. To clarify once more: if a person is breastfed by a woman with a legally valid amount of breastfeeding, he becomes her son, and her children, both male and female, become his siblings. Her brothers become his maternal uncles, and her sisters become his maternal aunts. He also becomes a son to the one to whom her milk is attributed, so her husband becomes his father through breastfeeding, and her husband’s brothers become his paternal uncles through breastfeeding. This ruling extends to the descendants of the breastfed person, meaning to his offspring.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the siblings of the breastfed person, and his father and mother, breastfeeding has absolutely no effect on them. It does not affect them at all. They are strangers with respect to this breastfed person, and with respect to those who were prohibited from marrying him due to breastfeeding, they are not prohibited relatives.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Accordingly, the middle son, who is the middle son of the uncle, is allowed to take one of the daughters of his deceased uncle?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from Sa'diyah Muhammad from Makkah al-Mukarramah, Al-Mansour Street.