Breastfeeding in Islam

Breastfeeding is highly regarded in Islam. The Quran regards it as a sign of love between the mother and child. In Islamic law, breastfeeding creates ties of milk kinship (known as raḍāʿ or riḍāʿa (Arabic: رضاع, رضاعة) that has implications in family law. Muslims throughout the world have varied breastfeeding traditions.

Mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years ~ Quran, 2.233

Quotes

Quran

Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Quran (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1930)

• Mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years; (that is) for those who wish to complete the suckling. The duty of feeding and clothing nursing mothers in a seemly manner is upon the father of the child. No-one should be charged beyond his capacity. A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor should he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his child. And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the child by mutual consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin for them; and if ye wish to give your children out to nurse, it is no sin for you, provide that ye pay what is due from you in kindness. Observe your duty to Allah, and know that Allah is Seer of what ye do.
  • Quran, sura 2, verse 233
  • Provision for breastfeeding mothers; permissibility of earlier weaning by mutual consent of both parents

• Forbidden unto you are your mothers, and your daughters, and your sisters, and your father's sisters, and your mother's sisters, and your brother's daughters and your sister's daughters, and your foster-mothers, and your foster-sisters, and your mothers-in-law, and your step-daughters who are under your protection (born) of your women unto whom ye have gone in - but if ye have not gone in unto them, then it is no sin for you (to marry their daughters) - and the wives of your sons who (spring) from your own loins. And (it is forbidden unto you) that ye should have two sisters together, except what hath already happened (of that nature) in the past. Lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
  • Quran, sura 4, verse 23
  • Doctrine of milk kinship

• On the day when you shall see it, every woman giving suck shall quit in confusion what she suckled, and every pregnant woman shall lay down her burden, and you shall see men intoxicated, and they shall not be intoxicated but the chastisement of Allah will be severe.
  • Quran, sura 22, verse 2
  • Mothers neglecting the nursing of their children a bad sign

• And We inspired the mother of Moses, saying: Suckle him and, when thou fearest for him, then cast him into the river and fear not nor grieve. Lo! We shall bring him back unto thee and shall make him (one) of Our messengers.
  • Quran, sura 28, verse 7
  • Nursing of Moses

• And We had before forbidden foster-mothers for him, so she said: Shall I show you a household who will rear him for you and take care of him?
  • Quran, sura 28, verse 12
  • Nursing of Moses

• Let the women live (in iddat) in the same style as ye live, according to your means: Annoy them not, so as to restrict them. And if they carry (life in their wombs), then spend (your substance) on them untilthey deliver their burden: and if they suckle your (offspring), give them their recompense: and take mutual counsel together, according to what isjust and reasonable. And if ye find yourselves in difficulties, let another woman suckle (the child) on the (father's) behalf.
  • Quran, sura 65, verse 6
  • Fathers should be generous to wet nurses

Hadith

• There was revealed in the Holy Qur'an ten clear sucklings, and then five clear (sucklings).
  • Sahih Muslim 1452b.  : Book 17, Hadith 31

Muwatta Malik  : Book 30

[1]

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, umm al-muminin informed her that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was with her and she heard the voice of a man asking permission to enter the room of Hafsa. A'isha said that she had said, "Messenger of Allah! There is a man asking permission to enter your house!" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I think it is so-and-so" (referring to a paternal uncle of Hafsa by suckling). A'isha said, "Messenger of Allah! If so-and-so were alive (referring to her paternal uncle by suckling) could he enter where I am?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Yes. Suckling makes haram as birth makes haram."
  • : Book 30, Hadith 1

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that A'isha, umm al-muminin said, "My paternal uncle by suckling came to me and I refused to give him permission to enter until I had asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about it. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came and I asked him about it. He said, 'He is your paternal uncle, so give him permission.' So I said, 'Messenger of Allah! The woman nursed me not the man.' He said, 'He is your paternal uncle, so let him enter.' " A'isha said, "That was after the veil had been imposed on us." A'isha added, "What is haram by birth is made haram by suckling."
  • : Book 30, Hadith 2

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az- Zubayr that A'isha umm al-muminin told him that Aflah, the brother of Abu'l-Quays came and asked permission to visit her after the veil had been lowered, and he was her paternal uncle by suckling. She said, "I refusedto give him permission to enter. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came, I told him about what I had done, and he ordered me to give him permission to enter."

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

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Amr ibn ash- Sharid that Abdullah ibn Abbas was asked whether, if a man had two wives, and one of them nursed a slave-boy, and the other had nursed a slave-girl, could the slave-boy marry the slave-girl. He said, "No. The husband is the same."

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said, "There is no kinship by suckling except for a person who is nursed when he is small. There is no kinship by suckling over the age of two years."

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar informed him that A'isha umm al-muminin sent him away while he was being nursed to her sister Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq and said, "Suckle him ten times so that he can come in to see me." Salim said, "Umm Kulthum nursed me three times and then fell ill, so that she only nursed me three times. I could not go in to see A'isha because Umm Kulthum did not finish for me the ten times."

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Safiyya bint Abi Ubayd told him that Hafsa, umm al-muminin, sent Asim ibn Abdullah ibn Sad to her sister Fatima bint Umar ibn al-Khattab for her to suckle him ten times so that he could come in to see her. She did it, so he used to come in to see her.

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Qasim that his father told him that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, admitted those whom her sisters and the daughters of her brother had nursed, and she did not admit those who were nursed by the wives of her brothers.

• Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibrahim ibn Uqba asked Said ibn al-Musayyab about suckling. Said said, "All that occurs in the first two years, even if it is only a drop, makes haram. Whatever is after two years, is only food that is eaten."Ibrahim ibn Uqba said, Then I asked Urwa ibn az-Zubayr and he told me the same as what Said ibn al-Musayyab said."

• Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said that he heard Said ibn al-Musayyab say, "Suckling is only while the child is in the cradle. If not, it does not cause flesh and blood relations."

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that he said, "Suckling however little or much, makes haram. Kinship by suckling makes men mahram." Yahya said that he had heard Malik say, "Suckling, however little or much when it is in the first two years, makes haram. As for what is after the first two years, little or much, it does not make anything haram. It is like food."

• Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Amongst what was sent down of the Qur'an was 'ten known sucklings make haram' - then it was abrogated by 'five known sucklings'. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, died, it was what is now recited of the Qur'an."
  • Muwatta Malik  : Book 30, Hadith 18