Issues Related to Breastfeeding (Rada'a)

Written by: Shaykh Hafiz Abdul Sattar Al-Hammad (May Allah preserve him)

"Breastfeeding establishes the same prohibitions as lineage."

"The relationships that are prohibited by lineage become prohibited through breastfeeding as well."
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Testimonies: Hadith 2645]

Benefits:​

In our society, there is often neglect and carelessness when it comes to the matter of breastfeeding, although the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) gave great importance to the relationships formed through breastfeeding. As another Hadith states:

"All the relationships that are prohibited by birth become prohibited through breastfeeding."
[Sunan Abu Dawood, Book of Marriage: Hadith 2055]
  • The breastfeeding mother becomes the child's Rada'a mother, her husband becomes the Rada'a father, and the husband’s brother becomes the Rada'a uncle to the child. Just as the child is connected to the breastfeeding mother, similarly, connections are formed with her husband and relatives. However, there is no connection between the child and the breastfeeding mother’s biological children.

Conditions for Prohibition of Relations Due to Breastfeeding:​

The prohibition of relationships due to breastfeeding is based on two conditions:
  1. The child must have breastfed at least five times: To establish breastfeeding, the child must have latched onto the mother's breast and started sucking, and then released the breast on its own to either breathe or switch to the other breast. Just one or two times of breastfeeding does not establish the prohibition. It must be five times as stated in the Hadith.
    [Sahih Muslim, Book of Breastfeeding: Hadith 3597]
  2. The child must have been breastfed until the age of two: If the child breastfed at an older age, where its nourishment was not solely dependent on milk, then breastfeeding will not establish the prohibition. As mentioned in the Hadith, breastfeeding that occurred due to hunger is the only valid breastfeeding.
    [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Testimonies: Hadith 2647]
"Another Hadith mentions that the valid breastfeeding is only that which occurs before the completion of the weaning period (two years)."
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book of Breastfeeding: Hadith 1152]
 
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