Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Zayd was married to Ṭalīḥah. Zayd’s wife Ṭalīḥah breastfed her own sister Ṣābirah. Later, Ṭalīḥah passed away, and Zayd married Ṭalīḥah’s other sister Hājirah.
Now the question is:
Can Zayd’s real brother, Bakr, marry Ṣābirah?
❖ Answer:
No, Bakr cannot marry Ṣābirah, because Ṣābirah is considered Bakr’s foster niece (رضاعی بھتیجی).
📌 This is due to the following chain:
- Ṭalīḥah (Zayd’s wife) breastfed her sister Ṣābirah.
- Ṭalīḥah was also Bakr’s sister-in-law, being the wife of his real brother Zayd.
- So, the woman (Ṣābirah) who drank her sister’s milk becomes a foster daughter to Zayd, and by extension, a foster niece to Bakr.
✿ Qur’anic Evidence:
﴿وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ﴾
(Sūrah al-Nisā’, 4:23)
Translation:
“…and [forbidden to you in marriage are] the daughters of your brothers…”
Just as it is forbidden to marry one’s biological niece, it is also forbidden to marry a foster niece, because:
“Whatever relationship is prohibited by lineage is also prohibited by breastfeeding (raḍāʿah).”
✅ Final Ruling:
Since Ṣābirah is considered Bakr’s foster niece, the nikāḥ is invalid and permanently unlawful in Islam.
