Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amnpuri (May Allah protect him)
Question:
How many times does breastfeeding establish fosterage (Rada'ah)?
Answer:
Fosterage and the resulting prohibition (hurmah) are established if a child is breastfed at least five times within the period of two years. The evidence for this ruling is as follows:
❀ Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"One or two sucklings do not create the prohibition (of fosterage)."
[Sahih Muslim: 1450]
❀ Another narration states:
"One or two instances of giving the breast do not create the prohibition."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Similarly, another hadith mentions:
"One or two instances of breastfeeding do not establish fosterage."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that a man from the tribe of Banu 'Amir asked the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"Does one instance of breastfeeding establish fosterage?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "No."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also narrated:
"Among the matters that were revealed in the Qur'an was that ten definite sucklings make the relationship unlawful. Then it was abrogated and replaced by five definite sucklings. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed away, and this was still recited in the Qur'an."
[Sahih Muslim: 1452]
This clearly shows that if a child is breastfed fewer than five times, the fosterage relationship and prohibition are not established. Even though the recitation of the verse regarding five sucklings is no longer part of the Qur'an, its ruling remains valid.
This is further supported by the hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed Sahlah bint Suhail (the wife of Abu Hudhayfah):
"Breastfeed him five times, and he will become like your foster son."
[Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, 2/605; also in Sahih Bukhari: 5088, Musnad Ahmad: 6/201, 271]
Thus, these narrations confirm that five feedings are the minimum for establishing fosterage. Any fewer does not create the foster relationship. The Qur'anic verse:
"Your mothers who breastfed you" [Surah An-Nisa 4:23]
and the hadith:
"Breastfeeding makes unlawful (for marriage) what blood relations make unlawful."
must be understood in light of these hadiths, which specify the requirement of five feedings.
➊ A narration attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whether a small or large amount of breastfeeding occurs, it makes the same relationships unlawful as blood relations."
[Jam'e Masaneed Imam Abu Hanifa: 2/97]
This narration is false because:
① The compiler of the book, Abu al-Mu'ayyid, is not proven to be trustworthy.
② One of the narrators, Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Harithi, is a known liar.
③ Ibrahim bin Jarrah is unverified except by Ibn Hibban, so his reliability is doubtful.
④ Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Kindi has been labeled as weak and unreliable by major scholars.
⑤ Hakam bin 'Utaybah is known for tadlis (concealing defects in transmission).
⑥ Qadhi Abu Yusuf is considered weak by the majority of scholars.
➋ A claim attributed to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
When someone presented the hadith "One or two feedings do not establish fosterage," he allegedly responded:
"That was before, but today one feeding is enough to establish fosterage."
[Ahkam al-Qur'an by al-Jassas: 2/125]
This statement is weak because:
① The narrator, Abu Khalid Ahmar, is known for tadlis, and there is no confirmation of his hearing this hadith.
② Another narrator, Hajjaj bin Arta, is weak, forgetful, and also known for tadlis.
③ Habib bin Abu Thabit is another mudallis (one who practices tadlis).
➌ There is also a weak narration attributed to Ali and Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them) stating that both believed any amount of breastfeeding establishes fosterage.
[Reported by al-Nasa'i: 3313]
This narration is weak due to Sa'eed bin Abi 'Urubah, who was also known for tadlis. According to the established principles of hadith criticism, a mudallis' narration is not accepted unless he clearly states that he heard it directly, which is not the case here.
Lastly, the opinions of Ibn Umar, Tawus, and 'Ata regarding one-time breastfeeding are also incorrect and cannot stand against the authentic hadiths that clearly establish the minimum requirement of five feedings for fosterage.
Thus, the correct ruling is that five distinct breastfeedings are required to establish fosterage and the associated prohibitions.
Question:
How many times does breastfeeding establish fosterage (Rada'ah)?
Answer:
Fosterage and the resulting prohibition (hurmah) are established if a child is breastfed at least five times within the period of two years. The evidence for this ruling is as follows:
❀ Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"One or two sucklings do not create the prohibition (of fosterage)."
[Sahih Muslim: 1450]
❀ Another narration states:
"One or two instances of giving the breast do not create the prohibition."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Similarly, another hadith mentions:
"One or two instances of breastfeeding do not establish fosterage."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that a man from the tribe of Banu 'Amir asked the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"Does one instance of breastfeeding establish fosterage?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "No."
[Sahih Muslim: 1451]
❀ Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also narrated:
"Among the matters that were revealed in the Qur'an was that ten definite sucklings make the relationship unlawful. Then it was abrogated and replaced by five definite sucklings. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed away, and this was still recited in the Qur'an."
[Sahih Muslim: 1452]
This clearly shows that if a child is breastfed fewer than five times, the fosterage relationship and prohibition are not established. Even though the recitation of the verse regarding five sucklings is no longer part of the Qur'an, its ruling remains valid.
This is further supported by the hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed Sahlah bint Suhail (the wife of Abu Hudhayfah):
"Breastfeed him five times, and he will become like your foster son."
[Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, 2/605; also in Sahih Bukhari: 5088, Musnad Ahmad: 6/201, 271]
Thus, these narrations confirm that five feedings are the minimum for establishing fosterage. Any fewer does not create the foster relationship. The Qur'anic verse:
"Your mothers who breastfed you" [Surah An-Nisa 4:23]
and the hadith:
"Breastfeeding makes unlawful (for marriage) what blood relations make unlawful."
must be understood in light of these hadiths, which specify the requirement of five feedings.
Misconceptions:
Some people believe that fosterage is established even by one instance of breastfeeding. However, their claims are based on weak or fabricated narrations. Here’s a brief analysis of such claims:➊ A narration attributed to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whether a small or large amount of breastfeeding occurs, it makes the same relationships unlawful as blood relations."
[Jam'e Masaneed Imam Abu Hanifa: 2/97]
This narration is false because:
① The compiler of the book, Abu al-Mu'ayyid, is not proven to be trustworthy.
② One of the narrators, Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Harithi, is a known liar.
③ Ibrahim bin Jarrah is unverified except by Ibn Hibban, so his reliability is doubtful.
④ Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Kindi has been labeled as weak and unreliable by major scholars.
⑤ Hakam bin 'Utaybah is known for tadlis (concealing defects in transmission).
⑥ Qadhi Abu Yusuf is considered weak by the majority of scholars.
➋ A claim attributed to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
When someone presented the hadith "One or two feedings do not establish fosterage," he allegedly responded:
"That was before, but today one feeding is enough to establish fosterage."
[Ahkam al-Qur'an by al-Jassas: 2/125]
This statement is weak because:
① The narrator, Abu Khalid Ahmar, is known for tadlis, and there is no confirmation of his hearing this hadith.
② Another narrator, Hajjaj bin Arta, is weak, forgetful, and also known for tadlis.
③ Habib bin Abu Thabit is another mudallis (one who practices tadlis).
➌ There is also a weak narration attributed to Ali and Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them) stating that both believed any amount of breastfeeding establishes fosterage.
[Reported by al-Nasa'i: 3313]
This narration is weak due to Sa'eed bin Abi 'Urubah, who was also known for tadlis. According to the established principles of hadith criticism, a mudallis' narration is not accepted unless he clearly states that he heard it directly, which is not the case here.
Lastly, the opinions of Ibn Umar, Tawus, and 'Ata regarding one-time breastfeeding are also incorrect and cannot stand against the authentic hadiths that clearly establish the minimum requirement of five feedings for fosterage.
Thus, the correct ruling is that five distinct breastfeedings are required to establish fosterage and the associated prohibitions.