Excerpt from the book “Wālidayn aur Aulād ke Ḥuqūq” by Shaykh Jāwēd Iqbāl Sīālkōṭī
❖ Topic:
The Complete Duration of Breastfeeding in Islam is Two Years
✿ Primary Quranic Evidence:
﴿وَالْوَالِدَاتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَادَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ ۖ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يُتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ﴾
“Mothers shall breastfeed their children for two complete years — for those who wish to complete the period of breastfeeding.”
📖 Surah al-Baqarah (2:233)
✅ Key Ruling:
✔ The complete and ideal duration of breastfeeding, as mentioned in the Qur’an, is two lunar years (24 months).
✔ This is a divinely prescribed limit for those who choose to fully complete the period of nursing (raḍāʿah).
✿ Clarification Regarding 30 Months:
Some scholars refer to another verse:
﴿وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا﴾
“His gestation and weaning is [a period of] thirty months.”
📖 Surah al-Aḥqāf (46:15)
→ This includes both pregnancy and breastfeeding together — totaling 30 months (2.5 years).
❖ Scholarly Explanation:
- Surah al-Baqarah (2:233) states: breastfeeding = 24 months (2 years)
- Surah al-Aḥqāf (46:15): pregnancy + breastfeeding = 30 months
📝 Thus, subtracting 24 months of breastfeeding from 30 months total leaves 6 months — the minimum valid duration of pregnancy.
❖ Benefit:
Some companions of the Prophet ﷺ used this verse as proof that:
If a child is born six months after marriage, he is still considered legitimate (ḥalāl), as it fulfills the minimum term defined by the Qur’an.
📖 Also supported by verses: Surah Luqmān: 14 and Surah al-Baqarah: 233
