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Q&A · Youth & Parenting

Does breastfeeding create a maḥram relationship (raḍā'ah)?

Yes. Allah mentions among those forbidden in marriage "your foster-mothers who suckled you and your foster-sisters through breastfeeding," and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "What is made unlawful through blood relations is made unlawful through breastfeeding." So a wet-nurse becomes like a mother, and her children become siblings to the nursed child, with the same maḥram rulings. The majority of scholars require that the suckling occur during the first two years and, per the Shāfi'ī and Hanbalī view, that it be at least five separate feedings.

Evidence — the daleel
Quran 4:23Sahih al-Bukhari 2645 ṢaḥīḥSahih Muslim 1444 Ṣaḥīḥ
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Informational, not a personal fatwa. Consult a qualified scholar for rulings on your situation.

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