The Permissibility of Marrying Cousins’ Daughters if Breastfeeding Did Not Occur

We received a message from Khamis Mushait from the listener (S. B. Sh.) who says: “Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy. I am the fourth of my brothers, and I wanted to marry one of my cousins’ daughters. However, my mother said that she had breastfed my young cousin, the youngest of my grandfather’s children, along with my eldest brother. She breastfed him more than five times. The cousin whom my mother breastfed is my father’s brother from his father. I have many uncles, both from my father’s father and from my father’s mother. Is it permissible for me to marry my cousins’ daughters? I hope to find an answer to this inquiry with you?”
Answer: If your cousin who was breastfed by your mother has daughters, you may not marry his daughters; because he was a brother to you. Since your mother breastfed your young cousin, he becomes a brother to her children through breastfeeding. Consequently, her male children become uncles to this young cousin’s children, and her daughters become aunts to his children. Therefore, you may not marry the daughters of this cousin of yours who was breastfed by your mother. As for your other uncles, you may marry their daughters, provided that your mother did not breastfeed them, and you were not breastfed by any of their wives or by your grandfather. There is no harm in marrying the daughters of your other uncles; there is no harm in marrying them, because there is no impediment. A cousin’s daughter is what Allah has made permissible, provided there is no breastfeeding between you and them. That is, if there is no breastfeeding between you and them, either because you were breastfed by your uncles’ wives, or because you were breastfed by your grandfather. This breastfeeding is a barrier. However, as long as you were not breastfed by your uncles’ wives or by your grandfather’s wife, and your mother did not breastfeed your uncles’ daughters, there is no blame on you in marrying them, except for the daughters of your young cousin who was breastfed by your mother. It is not permissible for you to marry any of them. Yes.