Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
If an elder sister breastfed her younger sister, is it permissible for their children to marry one another?
No, such a marriage is not permissible.
If the younger sister drank her elder sister's milk within the prescribed period of breastfeeding, then a milk relationship (raḍāʿah) is established.
The younger sister becomes the milk-daughter of the elder sister.
Consequently, the elder sister’s children become milk-siblings to the younger sister.
This makes the younger sister’s children the milk-nieces and nephews of the elder sister’s children.
Therefore, marriage between the children of both sisters is not allowed, just as marriage between the children of biological sisters is prohibited, so too is marriage between the children of milk-sisters.
وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ
﴿النساء: 23﴾
Translation:
“And (forbidden to you in marriage are) the daughters of your sisters.”
[Surah An-Nisā’: 23]
This includes both biological and milk-sister’s daughters.
❖ Question:
If an elder sister breastfed her younger sister, is it permissible for their children to marry one another?
✿ Answer:
No, such a marriage is not permissible.
If the younger sister drank her elder sister's milk within the prescribed period of breastfeeding, then a milk relationship (raḍāʿah) is established.
The younger sister becomes the milk-daughter of the elder sister.
Consequently, the elder sister’s children become milk-siblings to the younger sister.
This makes the younger sister’s children the milk-nieces and nephews of the elder sister’s children.
Therefore, marriage between the children of both sisters is not allowed, just as marriage between the children of biological sisters is prohibited, so too is marriage between the children of milk-sisters.
❖ Quranic Evidence:
وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ
﴿النساء: 23﴾
Translation:
“And (forbidden to you in marriage are) the daughters of your sisters.”
[Surah An-Nisā’: 23]
This includes both biological and milk-sister’s daughters.
Summary:
- The elder sister breastfed her younger sister → milk-mother and milk-daughter relationship is established.
- Elder sister’s children become milk-siblings to the younger sister.
- Their children become milk-nieces and nephews to one another.
- Therefore, nikāḥ between the two sets of children is forbidden.
