Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 233

(Ayah 233) ➊ {حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ لِمَنْ اَرَادَ اَنْ يُّتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ:} After the discussion of marriage and divorce, this verse discusses breastfeeding (the issues of feeding a child milk), because it can happen that a woman is divorced, or her husband passes away, and she has a nursing child in her lap. In this regard, mothers are commanded to breastfeed their children for a full two years. From this, it is understood that breastfeeding the child is obligatory upon the mother, especially when the child is not willing to drink the milk of any other woman. (See Surah At-Talaq: 6) Also, two more things are understood from this: first, that the maximum period of breastfeeding is two years, so if after this age of two years a child drinks the milk of any woman, the prohibition of breastfeeding will not be established. Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Only that breastfeeding will establish prohibition which, during the time of suckling from the breast, fills the intestines and is before the period of weaning." [ ترمذی، الرضاع، باب ما جاء ما ذکر أن الرضاعۃ … : ۱۱۵۲، و قال حسن صحیح] A similar meaning hadith is also established from Umm al-Mu'mineen Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [فَاِنَّمَا الرَّضَاعَۃُ مِنَ الْمَجَاعَۃِ] [ بخاری، الشہادات، باب الشہادۃ علی الأنساب … : ۲۶۴۷] "Indeed, breastfeeding is only valid when it is due to hunger (in infancy)." Some people state the period of weaning as two and a half years, but that is clearly against this verse and the other verse: «فِصٰلُهٗ فِيْ عَامَيْنِ» [ لقمان : ۱۴] (and his weaning is in two years). For more, see the commentary of Surah Al-Ahqaf (15). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) allowed Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him), whom they had raised like a son, to become a foster son by drinking the milk of Abu Hudhaifah's wife after he had grown up. [ مسلم : ۲۷؍۱۴۵۳] For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) held the view of breastfeeding an adult, but the other Mothers of the Believers did not accept this due to the possibility of it being specific to that case. At most, as in the incident of Salim (may Allah be pleased with him), it may be permitted in cases of severe necessity. The second issue is that completing the two-year period is not necessary; the child may be weaned before that.

➋ {رِزْقُهُنَّ وَ كِسْوَتُهُنَّ:} From this, it is understood that the mother who is breastfeeding, when she has been divorced, it is obligatory upon the father to provide food and clothing for her in a customary manner. In normal circumstances, when there is no divorce, the wife's food and clothing are already obligatory upon her husband. Also see Surah At-Talaq (6).

➌ {لَا تُضَآرَّ:} This is the singular feminine passive prohibitive form from the verb pattern of {”ضَرَرٌ“}, and the translation has been done accordingly. The prohibitive form can also be active. Our Sheikh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "To harm the mother is, for example, that she wants to keep her child with her but the father forcibly takes him away, or that he forces her to breastfeed and does not provide expenses; and to harm the father is that the mother puts the entire burden of the child on him, or refuses to breastfeed, or demands heavy expenses beyond the father's means." Another translation of the verse can be: "Neither should the mother harm the father because of the child, nor should the father harm the mother because of the child." In the first case, {”لَا تُضَآرَّ“} is the passive verb form. According to the second translation, it is the active form; the result is the same.

➍ {وَ عَلَى الْوَارِثِ مِثْلُ ذٰلِكَ :} That is, if the father dies, then whoever is his heir, it is obligatory upon him to fulfill these rights of the breastfeeding mother.

➎ That is, if you wish to have the child breastfed by a woman other than his mother, because an agreement cannot be reached with the mother, as stated: « وَ اِنْ تَعَاسَرْتُمْ فَسَتُرْضِعُ لَهٗۤ اُخْرٰى» [ الطلاق : ۶] "And if you make things difficult for each other, then another woman will breastfeed him," then there is no harm in this, provided that the compensation you wish to give is paid in full in a customary manner.