In the name of Allah most
gracious most merciful
According to numerous
Prophetic traditions, foster relations are treated like blood relations in marital
affairs. These relations can render one Muhram (i.e., unmarriageable), so he
can visit his foster relatives and see them as he does his blood relatives.
Narrated Aisha:
Aflah asked the permission to
visit me but I did not allow him. He said, "Do you veil yourself before me
although I am your uncle?" `Aisha said, "How is that?" Aflah
replied, "You were suckled by my
other's wife with my brother's milk.* note-it means milk of brothers
wife*" I asked Allah's Apostle about it, and he said, "Aflah is right,
so permit him to visit you."
(Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Volume 3,
Book 48, Number 812)
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
The Prophet said about Hamza's
daughter, "I am not legally permitted to marry her, as foster relations
are treated like blood relations (in marital affairs). She is the daughter of
my foster brother."
(Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 813)
Narrated `Amra bint
`Abdur-Rahman:
That `Aisha the wife of the
Prophet told her uncle that once, while the Prophet was in her house, she heard
a man asking Hafsa's permission to enter her house. `Aisha said, "I said,
'O Allah's Apostle! I think the man is Hafsa's foster uncle.' " `Aisha
added, "O Allah's Apostle! There is a man
asking the permission to enter your house." Allah's Apostle replied, "I think the man is Hafsa's foster uncle." `Aisha said, "If so-and-so were living (i.e. her foster uncle) would he be allowed to visit me?" Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, he would, as the foster relations are treated like blood relations (in marital affairs). (Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 814)
Narrated Aisha:
Once the Prophet came to me
while a man was in my house. He said, "O `Aisha! Who is this (man)?"
I replied, "My foster brothers" He said, "O `Aisha! Be sure
about your foster brothers, as fosterage is only valid if it takes place in the
suckling period (before two years of age).
(Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Volume 3,
Book 48, Number 815)
THIS HADITH IS OF SAHLA BINT
SUHAIL IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PIECE FOR
HYPOCRITES TO MOCK.WHEN IN REALITY
ITS AN ACT OF SHEER MERCY OF PROPHET
MUHAMMAD PBUH.
' A'isha (Allah be pleased
with her) reported that Sahla bint Suhail came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon him) and said: Messenger of 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 (may peace be upon him) said: Suckle him. She said:
How can I suckle him as he is a grown-up man? Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) 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
(may peace be upon him) laughed.
(Sahih Muslim, Volume 5, Book
8, Number 3424)
Muhammad Ibn ‘Umar told us:
Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdullah, Az-Zuhri’s nephew, told us on authority of his father
that he said: an amount of one milk drink was collected in a pot or glass, so
Salem used to drink it every day, for five days. After this, he used to enter
at her while her head is uncovered. This
was permission from Messenger
of Allah to Sahla bint Suhail.
(Ibn Sa’d, Kitab At-Tabaqat
Al-Kabir, Volume 10, page 257. Also, Ibn Hajar,
Al-Isabah, Volume 7, page 717)
-This VERSE was revealed in mecca
57 SURAH as per order of revelation.
31:14 And We have enjoined on
man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear
him and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude
to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
2 years were generally considered as weaning period,but it was not a standard law prescribed by Allah.
-Surah Ahzab ,90 as per order
of revealation & NOT BY THE PRESENT ORDER,salim was expected not to meet
sahla . Salim was an adopted son,but after this verse the concept of adopted
sons was abolished.so it was not liked by Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba ibn Rabia , a
person who is not even part
of family-relations is
entering his house.
33:5 Call them by (the names)
of their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah but if ye know not their
father's (names call them) your Brothers in faith or your Maulas. But there is
no blame on you if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of
your hearts: and Allah is
Oft-Returning Most Merciful.
so prophet out of sheer mercy commanded permitted nursing.
later revealed the law , 2
years for weaning.After this,it is always 2 years only.87 surah as per
revealation,not by present order.
2:233 The mothers shall give suck
to their offspring for two whole years if the father desires to complete the
term. But he shall bear the cost of their food and clothing on equitable terms.
No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear. No mother
shall be treated unfairly on
account of her child nor
father on account of his child. An heir shall be chargeable in the same way if
they both decide on weaning by mutual consent and after due consultation there
is no blame on them. If ye decide on a foster-mother for your offspring there
is no blame on you provided ye pay (the mother) what ye offered on equitable
terms. But fear Allah and know that Allah sees well what ye do.
So, the purpose of the
Prophet’s permission to Sahla bint Suhail was to make Salem her foster son in
order that he could approach her as a son approaches his mother.
As per Aisha RA ,if a person
wants to make someone mahram ,then during childhood till age 2 ,if children are
nursed , as per laws limts of 2 years then that child becomes a mahram.Firstly it
was 10 suckings later it was abrogated with 5.though one should be careful as
not to make such relations
too may unless and until in
dire necessity either to help an orphan or something similar which serves as
gud in general.other wise simply marriageable options will reduce.
Al-Muwatta Hadith
Hadith 30.12
Suckling of Older People
Yahya related to me from Malik
from Ibn Shihab that he was asked about the suckling of an older person. He
said, ''Urwa ibn az-Zubayr informed me that Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba ibn Rabia,
one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, who was present at Badr, adopted Salim (who is called Salim, the
mawla of Abu Hudhayfa) as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, adopted Zayd ibn Haritha. He thought of him as his son, and Abu
Hudhayfa married him to his brother's sister, Fatima bint al-Walid ibn Utba ibn
Rabia, who was at
that time among the first
emigrants. She was one of the best unmarried women of the Quraysh. When Allah
the Exalted sent down in His Book what He sent
down about Zayd ibn Haritha,
'Call them after their true fathers. That is more equitable in the sight of
Allah. If you do not know who their fathers
were then they are your
brothers in the deen and your mawali,' (Sura 33 ayat 5) people in this position
were traced back to their fathers. When the
father was not known, they
were traced to their mawla. "Sahla bint Suhayl who was the wife of Abu
Hudhayfa, and one of the tribe of
Amr ibn Luayy, came to the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said,
'Messenger of Allah! We think of Salim as a son and he
comes in to see me while I am
uncovered*note:uncovering of head*. We only have one room, so what do you think
about the situation?' The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, 'Give him five drinks of your milk and he will be mahram
by it.' She then saw him as a foster son.
A'isha umm al-muminin took
that as a precedent for whatever men she wanted to be able to come to see her.
She ordered her sister, Umm Kulthum bint Abi
Bakr as-Siddiq and the
daughters of her brother to give milk to whichever men she wanted to be able to
come in to see her. The rest of the wives of
the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, refused to let anyone come in to them by such nursing.
They said, 'No! By Allah! We think that
what the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered Sahla bint Suhayl to do was
only an indulgence concerning the
nursing of Salim alone. No! By
Allah! No one will come in upon us by such nursing!' "This is what the
wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, thought about the
suckling of an older person."note:*adult nursing was for salim only*
Al-Muwatta Hadith
Hadith 30.7
Suckling of the Young
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." '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 (may peace be upon him) 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 (may peace be upon him) 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.
(Sahih Muslim, Volume 5, Book
8, Number 3425)
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
(may peace be upon him) 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 (may peace be upon him) said: Suckle him
(so that he may become your
foster-child), and thus he may
be able to come to you (freely).
(Sahih Muslim, Volume 5, Book
8, Number 3427)
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 (may peace
be upon him) 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 (may peace be upon him) said:
Suckle him. She (Sahla bint Suhail) said: He
has a beard. 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 Hadhaifa.
(Sahih Muslim, Volume 5, Book
8, Number 3428)
‘Aisha herself that Allah’s
Apostle (peace be upon him) said, “fosterage is only valid if it takes place in
the suckling period (before two years of age).”
Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 3421
Narrated byAisha
It had been revealed in the
Qur'an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was
abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings
and Allah's Apostle (peace be
upon him) died and it was before that time (found) in the Qur'an (and recited
by the Muslims).
Al-Muwatta Hadith
Hadith 30.17
Suckling in General
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."
Yahya said that Malik said,
"One does not act on this."
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Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith
7.470 Narrated byAl Bara
One day Allah's Apostle
offered the 'Id prayer and said, "Whoever offers our prayer and faces our
Qibla should not slaughter the sacrifice till he
finishes the 'Id prayer."
Abu Burda bin Niyar got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I have already
done it." The Prophet said, "That is something you
have done before its due
time." Abu Burda said, "I have a Jadha'a which is better than two old
sheep; shall I slaughter it?" The Prophet said, "Yes,
but it will not be sufficient
for anyone after you."
excerpts taken from source