Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 23

(Ayah 23) ➊ {حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ اُمَّهٰتُكُمْ …:} The details of the women with whom marriage is forbidden are being explained. Firstly, it was mentioned in the previous verse that marrying the wife of one's father is forbidden. Now, here, seven forbidden relationships by lineage are mentioned: (1) Mother: This includes grandmothers and great-grandmothers upwards, for example, paternal great-grandmother, maternal great-grandmother. (2) Daughter: This includes granddaughters and great-granddaughters downwards. (3) Sister: Whether full, paternal, or maternal, in any case, it is forbidden. (4) Paternal aunt: This includes the sister of the grandfather and the sister of the maternal grandfather as well. (5) Maternal aunt: This word includes the sisters of the mother, maternal and paternal grandmothers. (6,7) Brother's daughter and sister's daughter: This includes their daughters downwards. (Qurtubi)

➋ {وَ اُمَّهٰتُكُمُ الّٰتِيْۤ اَرْضَعْنَكُمْ … :} That is, just as the mother and sister by lineage are forbidden, so are the mother and sister by suckling. Here, two relationships are mentioned, but according to hadith, all seven relationships that are forbidden by lineage are also forbidden by suckling. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Those relationships become forbidden by suckling which are forbidden by lineage." [ بخاری، النکاح، باب : «و أمہاتکم التی أرضعنکم» : ۵۰۹۹، عن عائشۃ رضی اللہ عنہا ]

The Qur'an has declared suckling as a cause of prohibition, but has not specified how many times suckling must occur at minimum. However, in Muslim, it is narrated from Umm al-Fadl and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "One or two times of suckling does not establish prohibition." [ مسلم، الرضاع، باب فی المصۃ والمصتان : ۱۴۵۰، ۱۴۵۱ ] It is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that in the revealed command in the Qur'an, ten known times of suckling made prohibition, then it was abrogated with five, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away and it was still recited in the Qur'an. [ مسلم، الرضاع، باب التحریم بخمس رضعات : ۱۴۵۲ ] Remember that this suckling will only be valid when it is within the period of suckling, that is, within two years. See Surah Al-Baqarah (233).

➌ {وَ اُمَّهٰتُ نِسَآىِٕكُمْ:} This includes the grandmothers of the wife upwards. The mother of the wife (mother-in-law) is forbidden, whether the wife was divorced before consummation or she passed away.

➍ {وَ رَبَآىِٕبُكُمُ الّٰتِيْ فِيْ حُجُوْرِكُمْ: ”رَبَائِبُ“ } This is the plural of {’’ رَبِيْبَةٌ ‘‘ }, meaning the daughter of the wife from another husband is also forbidden, provided that one has consummated the marriage with his wife (the girl's mother). If divorced before consummation, then marriage with the woman's daughter is permissible; there is consensus among the scholars on this. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir)

{ ”فِيْ حُجُوْرِكُمْ“ } (In your lap) is not a condition, but rather incidental, meaning that generally this happens, otherwise, if she was raised elsewhere, she is still forbidden.

➎ {وَحَلَاۤئِلُ أَبْنَاۤئِكُمْ: ”حَلَاۤئِلُ“ } This is the plural of "{حَلِيْلَةٌ“ }," meaning the wives of biological sons, not the wives of adopted sons. See Surah Al-Ahzab (37).

➏ {وَ اَنْ تَجْمَعُوْا بَيْنَ الْاُخْتَيْنِ.....:} This is in the nominative case, meaning { ”حُرِّمَ عَلَیْکُمُ الْجَمْعُ بَیْنَ الْاُخْتَیْنِ“ } that it is forbidden to have two sisters, whether by blood or by suckling, together in marriage at the same time. In the Qur'an, only the combining of two sisters is prohibited, but in hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Do not combine a paternal aunt and her niece, nor a maternal aunt and her niece in one marriage." [بخاری، النکاح، باب: لا تنکح المرأۃ علی عمتھا: 5109، عن أبی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ] From this, it is understood that besides the Qur'an, the Sunnah is also an independent source of Shariah. In the Qur'an, only the combining of two sisters is prohibited, and in the hadith, combining a paternal aunt and her niece and a maternal aunt and her niece is also prohibited; this must also be accepted.

➐ { اِلَّا مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ:} That is, there is no sin for those relationships that have already occurred before; this does not mean that they will be maintained.

23. 1. The details of the women with whom marriage is forbidden are being explained. Among them are seven blood-related (nasabi) prohibited women, seven milk-related (rada’i) prohibited women, and four in-law (susrali) prohibited women. In addition, it is established from the hadith of the Messenger that it is forbidden to combine a niece and paternal aunt, and a niece and maternal aunt in one marriage. The seven blood-related prohibited women are mothers, daughters, sisters, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, nieces (brother’s daughters), and nieces (sister’s daughters). The seven milk-related prohibited women are milk-mothers, milk-daughters, milk-sisters, milk-paternal aunts, milk-maternal aunts, milk-nieces (brother’s daughters), and milk-nieces (sister’s daughters). Among the in-law prohibited women are mother-in-law, (daughters of a consummated wife from a previous husband), daughter-in-law, and combining two real sisters in one marriage. In addition, the wife of the father (as mentioned in the previous verses), and according to hadith, as long as a wife is in the bond of marriage, it is forbidden to marry her paternal aunt, her maternal aunt, her niece (brother’s daughter), and her niece (sister’s daughter) as well.

The details of blood-related prohibited women: In "ummahat" (mothers), the mothers of mothers (maternal grandmothers), their paternal grandmothers, and the mothers of fathers (paternal grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and those above) are included. In "banat" (daughters), granddaughters (son’s daughters), granddaughters (daughter’s daughters), and the daughters of granddaughters (downwards) are included. There is a difference of opinion regarding whether a girl born from adultery is included among daughters or not. The three Imams include her among daughters and consider marriage with her forbidden. However, Imam Shafi’i says that she is not a legal daughter, so just as she is not included in (يُوْصِيْكُمُ اللّٰهُ فِيْٓ اَوْلَادِكُمْ) 4:11 (اللہ تعالیٰ تمہیں اولاد میں مال متروکہ تقسیم کرنے کا حکم دیتا ہے) and by consensus does not inherit, similarly she is not included in this verse either. And Allah knows best (Ibn Kathir).

"Sisters" (akhawat), whether full, paternal, or maternal. "Paternal aunts" (ammat), this includes all sisters of the father’s male ancestors, i.e., maternal grandfather, paternal grandfather, of all three types. "Maternal aunts" (khalat), this includes all sisters of the mother’s female ancestors (i.e., maternal grandmother, paternal grandmother) of all three types. "Nieces" (brother’s daughters), this includes the daughters of all three types of brothers, whether directly or indirectly (i.e., through lineage or branch). "Nieces" (sister’s daughters), this includes the daughters of all three types of sisters, whether directly or indirectly (i.e., through lineage or branch).

Second category, milk-related prohibited women: Milk-mother, whose milk you drank within the period of suckling (i.e., two and a half years). Milk-sister, the woman whom your real or milk-mother nursed, whether she was nursed with you, before you, or after you, or with your siblings. Or the woman whose real mother nursed you, even if at different times. Through suckling, all those relationships become forbidden which are forbidden by blood. The details are that the real and milk children of the woman who becomes a milk-mother become siblings of the child who drank the milk, her husband becomes his father, the sisters of that man become his paternal aunts, the sisters of that woman become his maternal aunts, and the brothers-in-law of that woman become his milk-paternal uncles. However, the real siblings of the child who drank the milk do not become forbidden to that household due to suckling.

Third category, in-law prohibited women: The wife’s mother, i.e., mother-in-law (this includes the wife’s maternal and paternal grandmothers). If someone marries a woman and divorces her without consummation, even then marriage with her mother (mother-in-law) is forbidden. However, if someone marries a woman and divorces her without consummation, then marriage with her daughter is permissible. (Fath al-Qadir)

"Rabibah": The daughter of a wife from a previous husband. Her prohibition is conditional, i.e., if her mother has been consummated with, then marriage with the rabibah is forbidden, otherwise it is permissible. "Fi hujurikum" (those rabibah who are raised in your lap) is a condition based on the majority of cases, not as a requirement. If this girl is being raised or residing elsewhere, even then marriage with her is forbidden.

"Halail" is the plural of "halilah". This is from "hal yuhill" (to descend), on the pattern of "fa’ilah" meaning "fa’ilah". The wife is called "halilah" because her place of residence is with the husband, i.e., wherever the husband descends or resides, she also descends or resides there. In sons, grandsons (son’s sons) and grandsons (daughter’s sons) are also included, i.e., marriage with their wives is also forbidden. Similarly, the spouses of milk-children are also forbidden. "Min aslabikum" (wives of your biological sons) clarifies that marriage with the wives of adopted sons is not forbidden.

Two sisters (whether milk-related or blood-related), it is forbidden to marry them at the same time. However, after the death of one or after divorce and completion of the waiting period, marriage with the other sister is permissible. Similarly, after divorcing one of four wives, a fifth marriage is not allowed until the divorced woman completes her waiting period.

Note: Will prohibition be established through adultery or not? There is a difference of opinion among the scholars. The majority say that if a person commits adultery with a woman, that woman does not become forbidden to him due to that adultery. Similarly, if someone commits adultery with his wife’s mother (mother-in-law) or her daughter (from another husband), his wife does not become forbidden to him (for evidences, see Fath al-Qadir). According to the Hanafi scholars and some others, prohibition is also established through adultery.

Forbidden to you (for marriage) are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts, your maternal aunts, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s daughters, your mothers who nursed you [37], your milk-sisters, your wives’ mothers, and your stepdaughters under your care who are born of your wives with whom you have consummated marriage—but if you have not consummated the marriage, then there is no blame upon you (to marry their daughters)—and the wives of your own sons who are from your loins. And (it is also forbidden) that you take two sisters together in marriage, except for what has already passed [38]. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving [39], Most Merciful.

[37] Also consider the following Prophetic hadiths regarding the prohibition of relationships through breastfeeding:
1. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas ؓ that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The relationships that are prohibited due to lineage are also prohibited due to breastfeeding."
[بخاری، کتاب الشہادات، باب الشہادت علی الانساب]

Relationships of Breastfeeding and the Rulings of Breastfeeding:

2. Uqbah bin Harith says that he married the daughter of Abu Ihab bin Aziz. Then a woman came and said, "I have breastfed both Uqbah and his wife." I said to her, "I do not think that you have breastfed me, nor did you ever tell me." Then I rode to Medina and reached the Prophet ﷺ and asked him. The Prophet ﷺ said: "How can this marriage remain after such a thing has been said?" So I left her and married another woman.
[بخاری، کتاب العلم، باب الرحلۃ فی المسئلۃ النازلۃ]
3. Sayyida Aisha ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The breastfeeding that is considered valid is that which satisfies hunger in childhood."
[بخاری کتاب النکاح، باب من قال لارضاع بعد حولین]
4. Sayyida Aisha ؓ says that Aflah, the brother of Abu Qu‘ays, was my foster uncle. He came to me and sought permission to enter. This incident occurred after the command of veiling had been revealed. Therefore, I did not permit him. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came, I mentioned this to him. The Prophet ﷺ ordered me to allow him to enter.
[بخاری، کتاب النکاح، باب لبن الفحل]
5. Sayyida Aisha ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The prohibition of breastfeeding is not established by one or two sucklings."
[ترمذی، ابواب الرضاع، باب لاتحرم المصۃ ولا المصتان]
6. Sayyida Aisha ؓ says that there was a verse in the Quran: ‘Ten known sucklings’—that is, the prohibition of breastfeeding is established by ten sucklings. Then it was abrogated, and the command of five remained, and this ruling remained until the Prophet’s ﷺ death. Sayyida Aisha ؓ used to give fatwa according to this.
[جائزۃ الشعوذی، جامع ترمذی۔ ابواب الرضاع، باب لاتحرم المصۃ ولا المصتان]
As for the period of breastfeeding within which the prohibition of breastfeeding is established, according to ﴿حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ﴾ it is up to two years, and all jurists except Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) are of this opinion. However, Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) considers the period of breastfeeding to be two and a half years. Also, according to him, even one suckling or one sip establishes the prohibition of breastfeeding.
[38]
Prohibited Relationships According to the Sunnah:

In the Quran, only the prohibition of combining two real sisters in marriage is mentioned, whereas in the hadith, the prohibition of combining a paternal aunt and niece, and a maternal aunt and niece, is also mentioned. Thus, it is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir ؓ that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not combine a paternal aunt and her niece, nor a maternal aunt and her niece in marriage."
[بخاری، کتاب النکاح، باب لاینکح المراۃ علی عمتھا۔ مسلم، کتاب النکاح 'باب تحریم الجمع بین المرأۃ و عمتھا]
[39]
Details of Prohibited Relationships:

According to verse number 23, it is prohibited to marry the following women, and the Sunnah further clarifies this:
1. Mothers, including grandmothers from both sides, and so on.
2. Daughters, including granddaughters from sons and daughters, and so on.
3. Sisters, including full, paternal, and maternal sisters—all are included.
4. Paternal aunts.
5. Maternal aunts, whether they are the mother's full sisters, uterine half-sisters, or consanguine half-sisters—all are prohibited.
6. Nieces (brother’s daughters) and their daughters.
7. Nieces (sister’s daughters) and their daughters.
8. Foster mothers (through breastfeeding).
9. Foster sisters (through breastfeeding), and all relationships prohibited by lineage are also prohibited by breastfeeding.
10. Mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law as long as their sister is in marriage.
11. Daughters and stepdaughters.
12. Daughter-in-law (the widow of a real son) is prohibited for marriage.
13. It is prohibited to combine two sisters in marriage at the same time. After this command, one must immediately divorce one of them.
14. And according to the next verse, number 24, all married women are also prohibited.