The Book of Suckling

كتاب الرضاع

Chapter 4: The prohibition of marriage to one's stepdaughter and the sister of one's wife

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters.

Umm Habiba, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), reported that she said to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)

Messenger of Allah, marry my sister 'Azza, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Do you like it? She said: Yes, Messenger of Allah, I am not the exclusive wife of yours, and I wish that the person who joins me in good should be my sister. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: That is not lawful for me. I said: Messenger of Allah, we discussed that You intend to marry Durrah bint Abu Salama. He (the Holy Prophet) said: You mean the daughter of Abu Salama? She said: Yes, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may. peace be upon him) said: Even if she were not the step-daughter of mine, brought up under my guardianship, she would not have been lawful for me, for she is the daughter of my foster-brother. Thuwaiba gave me suck and to Abu Salama (also), so do not offer to me your daughters and sisters.

The above hadith is narratted through other chains except they did not mention 'Azza like the chain of Yazid Bin Abi Habib.

Chapter 5: One or Two sucks

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her), Suwaid and Zubair reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying

One suckling or two do not make (marriage) unlawful.

Umm al-Fadl reported

A bedouin came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) when he was in my house and said: Allah's Apostle, I have had a wife and I married another besides her, and my first wife claimed that she had suckled once or twice my newly married wife, thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: One suckling or two do not make the (marriage) unlawful.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that a person from Banu 'Amir b. Sa'sa said

Allah's Apostle, does one suckling make the (marriage) unlawful? He said: No.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said

Being suckled once or twice, or one suckling or two, do not make marriage unlawful.

In the narration transmitted on the authority of Ibn Bishr there is a mention of two sucklings and Ibn Abu Shaiba has narrated it with a small variation of wording.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be'apon him) having said this

One or two sucklings do not make (the marriage) unlawful.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that a person asked Allah's Apostle (ﷺ)

Does one suckling make (the marriage) unlawful? He said: No.

Chapter 6: Becoming Mahram is established by Five Breastfeedings

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with, her) reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qur'an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qur'an (and recited by the Muslims).

'Amra reported that she heard 'A'isha (Allah he pleased with her) discussing fosterage which (makes marriage) unlawful; and she ('A'isha) said

There was revealed in the Holy Qur'an ten clear sucklings, and then five clear (sucklings).

Ahadith like this is transmitted by 'A'isha through another chain of narrators.

Chapter 7: Breastfeeding an adult

What is meant by breastfeeding here is that the woman empties her milk in a container and sends it to the man to drink it, and this is repeated five times, and thus is forbidden.
' A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be eupon him) and said

Messengerof Allah, I see on the face of Abu Hudhaifa (signs of disgust) on entering of Salim (who is an ally) into (our house), whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Suckle him. She said: How can I suckle him as he is a grown-up man? Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) smiled and said: I already know that he is a young man 'Amr has made this addition in his narration that he participated in the Battle of Badr and in the narration of Ibn 'Umar (the words are): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) laughed.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hadhaifa, lived with him and his family in their house. She (i. e. the daughter of Suhail came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and said

Salim has attained (purbety) as men attain, and he understands what they understand, and he enters our house freely, I, however, perceive that something (rankles) in the heart of Abu Hudhaifa, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said to her: Suckle him and you would become unlawful for him, and (the rankling) which Abu Hudhaifa feels in his heart will disappear. She returned and said: So I suckled him, and what (was there) in the heart of Abu Hudhaifa disappeared.

Ibn Abu Mulaika reported that al-Qasim b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr had narrated to him that 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail b. 'Amr came to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) and said

Messenger of Allah, Salim (the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa) is living with us in our house, and he has attained (puberty) as men attain it and has acquired knowledge (of the sex problems) as men acquire, whereupon he said: Suckle him so that he may become unlawful (in regard to marriage) for you He (Ibn Abu Mulaika) said: I refrained from (narrating this hadith) for a year or so on account of fear. I then met al-Qasim and said to him: You narrated to me a hadith which I did not narrate (to anyone) afterwards. He said: What is that? I informed him, whereupon he said: Narrate it on my authority that 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) had narrated that to me.

Umm Salama said to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her)

A young boy who is at the threshold of puberty comes to you. I, however, do not like that he should come to me, whereupon 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said: Don't you see in Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) a model for you? She also said: The wife of Abu Hudhaifa said: Messenger of Allah, Salim comes to me and now he is a (grown-up) person, and there is something that (rankles) in the mind of Abu Hudhaifa about him, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Suckle him (so that he may become your foster-child), and thus he may be able to come to you (freely).

Zainab daughter of Abu Salama reported

I heard Umm Salama, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon himy, saying to 'A'isha: By Allah, I do not like to be seen by a young boy who has passed the period of fosterage, whereupon she ('A'isha) said: Why is it so? Sahla daughter of Suhail came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah's Messenger, I swear by Allah that I see in the face of Abu Hudhaifa (the signs of disgust) on account of entering of Salim (in the house), whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Suckle him. She (Sahla bint Suhail) said: He has a heard. But he (again) said: Suckle him, and it would remove what is there (expression of disgust) on the face of Abu Hudhaifa. She said: (I did that) and, by Allah, I did not see (any sign of disgust) on the face of Abu Hudhaifa.

Umm Salama, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), used to say that all wives of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) disclaimed the idea that one with this type of fosterage (having been suckled after the proper period) should come to them. and said to 'A'isha

By Allah, we do not find this but a sort of concession given by Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) only for Salim, and no one was ging to be allowed to enter (our houses) with this type of fosterage and we do not subscribe to this view.

Chapter 8: Breastfeeding is because of Hunger (meaning, during infancy)

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) visited me when a man was sitting near me, and he seemed to disapprove of that. And I saw signs of anger on his face and I said: Messenger of Allah, he is my brother by forsterage, whereupon he said: Consider who your brothers are because of fosterage since fosterage is through hunger (i. e. in infancy).