Rules Regarding Suckling a Child
Issue 2473: * If a woman suckles a child with the conditions which will be mentioned in rule 2483, that child becomes Mahram of the following persons:
(i) The woman herself (i.e. the woman who suckles it) and she is called Riza'i mother (milk mother).
(ii) The husband of the woman (for the milk belongs to him); he is called Riza'i father (milk father).
(iii) Father and mother of that woman and all in their upward line, even if they are milk father and milk mother.
(iv) The children born of that woman, or those who are born to her later.
(v) The children of the children of that woman, however low, regardless of whether they are born of her children or her children had suckled them.
(vi) The sister and brother of that woman, even if they are her milk sister and milk brother.
(vii) Paternal uncle and paternal aunt of that woman, even if they are by milk, i.e. suckling.
(viii) Maternal uncle and maternal aunt of that woman, even if they are by milk i.e. suckling.
(ix) The descendants of the husband of that woman, (to whom milk belongs) even if they may be his milk children.
(x) Father and mother of that husband (to whom milk belongs), however high.
(xi) Sister and brother of the husband, (to whom milk belongs) even if they may be his milk sister and brother.
(xii) Paternal uncle and paternal aunt and maternal uncle and maternal aunt of the husband, (to whom milk belongs) however high, even if they are his milk uncles and aunts.
There are other persons also (details regarding whom will be given in the following rules) who become Mahram on account of sucking milk.
Issue 2474: If a woman suckles a child with the condition which will be mentioned in rule 2483, the father of the child cannot marry the daughters of that woman, but it is permissible for him to marry her milk daughters, although the recommended precaution is that he should not marry them. Moreover, he cannot marry the daughters of the husband also (to whom milk belongs), even if they may be his milk daughters. And if any one of them happens to be his wife already, his marriage becomes void.
Issue 2475: If a woman suckles a child with the conditions mentioned in rule 2483, the husband of that woman (to whom milk belongs) does not become Mahram of the sisters of that child, but the recommended precaution is that he should not marry them. Also, the relatives of the husband do not become Mahram of the sister and brother of that child.
Issue 2476: If a woman suckles a child, she does not become Mahram of the brothers of that child. Moreover, the relatives of that woman do not become Mahram of the brother and sister of the child suckled by her.
Issue 2477: If a person marries a woman who has suckled a girl fully, and if he has had sexual intercourse with her, he cannot marry that milk girl.
Issue 2478: If a person marries a girl, he cannot marry the woman who has suckled her fully.
Issue 2479: A man cannot marry a girl who has been suckled fully by his mother or paternal grandmother. Also, if his step-mother suckles a girl from the milk belonging to his father, he cannot marry that girl. And if a person contracts Nikah with a suckling girl, and thereafter, his mother or his paternal grandmother or his step-mother suckles that girl, the Nikah becomes void.
Issue 2480: A man cannot marry a girl who has been suckled fully by his sister, or by his brother's wife. And the position is the same if that girl is suckled by that man's niece (sister's daughter or brother's daughter) or the granddaughter of his sister or the granddaughter of his brother.
Issue 2481: If a woman suckles the child of her daughter i.e. her granddaughter, or grandson, the daughter will become haraam for her own husband, and the same applies if she suckles the child of the husband of her daughter from another wife. But if a woman suckles the child of her son, the wife of her son who is the mother of the suckling child, does not become haraam for her husband.
Issue 2482: If the step mother of a girl suckles the child of her husband, with the milk that belongs to the girl's father, the girl becomes haraam for her husband regardless of whether the child is the offspring of that very girl or of some other woman.
Conditions of Suckling Which Causes to be Mahram
Issue 2483: The following are the eight conditions under which suckling child becomes the cause of being Mahram.
(i) That the child sucks the milk of a woman who is alive. It is of no consequence if milk is drawn from the breast of a woman who is dead.
(ii) That the milk of the woman should not be the product of fornication or adultery. Hence, if the milk for an illegitimate child is breastfed to another child, the latter will not become Mahram of anyone.
(iii) That the child sucks milk directly from the breasts of the woman. Hence, if milk is poured into its mouth, it has no consequence.
(iv) That the milk be pure and unadulterated.
(v) That the milk be of one husband only. Hence, if a breast-feeding woman is divorced and then she marries another man by whom she becomes pregnant, if the milk of the first pregnancy still continues from the breast till she gives birth to the other child, and she feeds any child eight times with the milk from her first pregnancy before giving birth, and feeds the same child seven times with the milk from the second pregnancy, after giving birth, that child will not become Mahram of anyone.
(vi) That the child does not throw up the milk due to illness. If it vomits the milk, the suckling has no effect.
(vii) The suckling should be of such quantity that it could be said that the bones of the child were strengthened and the flesh allowed to grow. And if that cannot be ascertained, then if a child suckles for one full day and night, or if it suckles fifteen times to its fill, as will be explained later, it will be sufficient. But if it is known that in spite of the child having suckled for one full day and night, or for fifteen times, the milk has not had any effect on the
bones and the growth of flesh of the child, then one should not ignore exercising the precaution.
(viii) That the child should not have completed two years of his age, and, if it is suckled after it has completed two years of its age, it does not become Mahram of anyone. In fact, if, for example, it sucks milk eight times before completing its two years, and seven times after completing its two years, it does not become Mahram of anyone. But, if milk continues from the breast for more than two years since a woman gave birth to her child, and she suckles the child continuously, that child will become Mahram of those who have been mentioned above.
Issue 2484: It is necessary that the suckling child should not have taken any other food, or sucked milk from any other person, during one full day and night. However, it it takes very little food, so little that one may not say that it has taken any food in between, there is no harm in it. Also, it should have suckled the milk of only one woman fifteen times, and during these fifteen times, it should not have sucked the milk of any other woman. And it should have sucked milk every time without a gap, though, if while suckling milk it pauses to breathe, or waits a little, in a manner that from the time it started till the end, it is taken as one suckling, there is no objection.
Issue 2485: If a woman suckles a child from the milk of her husband, and when she later marries another man, suckles another child from the milk of her second husband, those two children do not become Mahram of each other, although it is better that they do not marry each other.
Issue 2486: If a woman suckles several children from the milk of one husband, all of them become Mahram of one another, as well as of the husband, and of the woman who suckled them.
Issue 2487: If a man has more than one wife, and every one of them suckles a child in accordance with the conditions mentioned above, all those children become Mahram of one another, as well as of that man, and of all those wives.
Issue 2488: If a man has two nursing wives, and if, for example, one of them suckles the child eight times and the other suckles it seven times, the child does not become Mahram of any one of them.
Issue 2489: If a woman gives full milk to a boy and a girl from the milk of one husband, the sisters and brothers of that girl will not become Mahram of the sisters and brothers of that boy.
Issue 2490: * A man cannot marry without the permission of his wife, those women who became her nieces (sister's daughter or brother's daughter) owing to the suckling of milk. Also, if a person commits sodomy with a boy, he cannot marry his milk daughter, sister, mother and paternal grandmother by means of sucking milk. This rule applies also in the situation where an active partner in sodomy is not baligh, or when the passive partner is baligh.
Issue 2491: A woman who suckles the brother of a person, does not become Mahram of that person, although the recommended precaution is that he should not marry her.
Issue 2492: * A man cannot marry two sisters even if they may be milk sisters, that is, they have become sisters by means of suckling milk. If he
marries two women and understands later that they are sisters, if he married them at one and the same time, both the Nikah will be void. But if he did not marry them at one time, the first marriage will be valid, and the second will be void.
Issue 2493: * If a woman suckles the following persons from her husband's milk, her husband does not become haraam for her, although it is better to observe precaution.
(i) Her own brother and sister.
(ii) Her own paternal uncle and paternal aunt, and maternal uncle and maternal aunt.
(iii) The descendants of her paternal uncle and her maternal uncle.
(iv) Her nephew (brother's son).
(v) Brother or sister of her husband.
(vi) Children of her sister, or children of her husband's sister.
(vii) Paternal uncle and paternal aunt and maternal uncle and maternal aunt of her husband.
(viii) Grand children of another wife of her husband.
Issue 2494: If a woman suckles the paternal aunt's daughter, or maternal aunt's daughter of a man, she (the woman who suckles) does not become Mahram of that man. However, the recommended precaution is that he should refrain from marrying that woman.
Issue 2495: If a man has two wives, and one of them suckles the paternal uncle's son of the other wife, the wife who suckled does not become haraam for her husband.