Ruling on Breastfeeding

**The Ruling:** The ruling of breastfeeding is like the ruling of lineage in: - Prohibiting marriage - Establishing mahram (unmarriageable kin) status - Permitting privacy (khalwah) and looking Breastfeeding establishes kinship and spreads prohibition (of marriage) when its conditions are met. --- **Evidence of Prohibition Through Breastfeeding:** **From the Quran:** Allah says: "...and your mothers who nursed you and your sisters through breastfeeding..." [An-Nisa: 23] - in the context of listing women forbidden for marriage. **From the Sunnah:** - Aisha رضي الله عنها reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Breastfeeding prohibits what birth prohibits" [Bukhari & Muslim]. - Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding Hamzah's daughter: "She is not permissible for me. She is my niece through breastfeeding. What is prohibited through kinship is prohibited through breastfeeding" [Bukhari & Muslim]. **From Ijma' (Consensus):** The scholars of the ummah have unanimously agreed on prohibition through breastfeeding.