What is your opinion on the number of breastfeeding sessions that establish milk relations and the ensuing consequences?
Question
What is your opinion on the number of breastfeeding sessions that establish milk relations and the ensuing consequences?
Answer
Islamic legal texts have stated that the prohibition established by rida’ is tantamount to that which is established by blood relations when the nursing is during its legal duration which is two lunar years from the date of birth according to the opinion implemented for fatwa. However, jurists have differed over the number of feeding sessions and the quantity of milk that impedes marriage.
The Hanafis, Malikis, and one opinion of Imam Ahmad
They contended that a little milk creates milk-relations that bar marriage just as a larger amount of milk does.
The Shafi’is and the preponderant opinion of imam Ahmad
They opined that rida’ which gives rise to prohibited marriage relations must be not less than five certain separate feeding sessions during the nursing period mentioned above; this is the opinion implemented for fatwa.
Breastfeeding causes a woman who breastfeeds a child to become its mother-through-nursing. Consequently, all of her children, whether those whom she nursed with, after, or before the child, become his siblings-through-nursing. Additionally, milk-relations are also created between the infant and all of the milk-mother’s relatives. This, which is the opinion used for fatwa, is based on the words of the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] who said, ”Milk relations are treated like blood relations in establishing the prohibition of marriage.” The above answers the question.