Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Jazakallah Khair brother for such a nice and comprehenisve reply, May Allah reward you for this.

 

I just need one clarification in the same subject -

 

My wife is nursing this baby from his 1st day of birth. Somebody told us that if she  breast feed him, only then she will be his Foster Mother and thus becomes Mehram for this boy. She tried a couple of time (breast feeding) but everytime baby took one or two suckling and left, maybe because it didn't have milk in it. It sounds from your email that simply nursing will make her Foster Mother, breast feeding is not mandatory to be Mehram, is my understanding correct.

 

Appreciate your valuable advice on this.

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Nursing or breast feeding milk mehram foster

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.815         Narrated by Aisha

Once the Prophet (saws) came to me while a man was in my house. He (saws) said, "O 'Aisha! Who is this (man)?"  I replied, "My foster brother."  He (saws) said, "O 'Aisha! Be sure about your foster brothers, as fostership is only valid if it takes place in the suckling period (before two years of age)."

 

Al-Muwatta Hadith 30.4

Yahya related from Malik from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Dili that Abdullah ibn Abbas (r.a.) said, "The milk which a child under two years old sucks, even if it is only one suck, makes the foster relatives ‘haram’ (sacred)."

 

Respected brother, one obviously cannot determine with absolute conviction exactly how much milk the infant has sucked from a woman’s breast…..thus if your wife has repeatedly tried to nurse and give suck to the adopted boy from its day of birth, rest assured that if even a drop of her milk has been consumed by the infant, a ‘mehram’ or sacred foster-relationship would have been deemed established between your wife and the boy in the Sight of Shariah Law.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan