Is Breastfeeding Valid for a Child Aged Two and a Half Years?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpuri
❖ Question:
If a nursing child is two and a half years old, will the act of breastfeeding establish legal (Sharʿī) kinship (raḍāʿah) or not?
❖ Answer:
No, raḍāʿah (breastfeeding-based kinship) will not be established.
According to Islamic law, the maximum duration for valid breastfeeding is two years. If, within this two-year period, a woman breastfeeds a child at least five times, the relationship of maḥramiyyah (prohibition of marriage) through breastfeeding is established.
✿ Qur’anic Evidence:
﴿وَالْوَالِدَاتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ﴾
(Surah al-Baqarah: 233)
Translation:
“Mothers shall breastfeed their children for two complete years — for those who wish to complete the term of breastfeeding.”
✅ Therefore, breastfeeding a child after the age of two — such as at two and a half years — does not establish any Sharʿī prohibition (maḥramiyyah), and raḍāʿah is not valid in such a case.
