Permanent Prohibition

Fourteen women are permanently prohibited - seven by lineage and seven by other causes (affinity and breastfeeding). Permanent prohibition means they can never be married under any circumstances. This prohibition has three causes: kinship, affinity, and breastfeeding. --- **First: Prohibited by Kinship (7 women):** 1. **Mother** - and her mother (maternal grandmother), and father's mother (paternal grandmother). Referred to as one's female ancestors. 2. **Daughter** - and daughter's daughter, and son's daughter. Referred to as one's female descendants. 3. **Sister** - full sister, paternal sister, or maternal sister. Referred to as parents' descendants. 4. **Brother's daughter** - daughter of full brother, paternal brother, or maternal brother. 5. **Sister's daughter** - daughter of full sister, paternal sister, or maternal sister. 6. **Paternal aunt** - father's sister, and similarly father's aunt and mother's aunt. Referred to as grandfather's descendants from father's side. 7. **Maternal aunt** - mother's sister, and similarly mother's aunt and father's aunt (from mother's side). Referred to as grandparents' descendants from mother's side. **Evidence:** Allah says: "Prohibited to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts, your maternal aunts, the daughters of your brother and the daughters of your sister" [An-Nisa: 23] --- **Second: Prohibited by Affinity (4 women):** 1. **Father's wife** - and similarly grandfather's wife (paternal or maternal). Referred to as ancestors' wives. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "And do not marry those whom your fathers married" [An-Nisa: 22] 2. **Son's wife** - and son's son's wife, and daughter's son's wife likewise. These are descendants' wives. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "And the wives of your sons who are from your loins" [An-Nisa: 23] 3. **Wife's mother** - and similarly all her female ancestors like wife's mother's mother. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "And the mothers of your wives" [An-Nisa: 23] - These three become prohibited by the contract alone, whether consummation occurred or not. 4. **Wife's daughter (stepdaughter)** - she is prohibited to her mother's husband. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "And your stepdaughters who are in your guardianship from your wives whom you have consummated" [An-Nisa: 23] - The stepdaughter doesn't need to be raised in his care - the condition in the verse refers to the common case. - She becomes prohibited if he consummated with her mother. If he didn't (divorced or she died before consummation), he may marry her daughter. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "But if you have not consummated with them, there is no sin upon you" [An-Nisa: 23] 5. **For a woman** - her mother's husband, her daughter's husband, her husband's son, and her husband's father are prohibited to her. --- **Third: Prohibited by Breastfeeding (7 women):** The Quran mentions two, and the Sunnah adds five. **From the Quran:** 1. **Breastfeeding mother** - the woman who breastfed you, and her mother, and her mother's mother, and her father's mother. 2. **Breastfeeding sister** - one who breastfed from your mother, or you breastfed from hers, or you both breastfed from one woman, or she breastfed from your father's wife, or you breastfed from her father's wife. - **Evidence:** Allah says: "And your mothers who nursed you and your sisters from nursing" [An-Nisa: 23] **From the Sunnah:** 3. **Breastfeeding brother's daughter** 4. **Breastfeeding sister's daughter** 5. **Breastfeeding paternal aunt** - one who breastfed with your father 6. **Breastfeeding maternal aunt** - one who breastfed with your mother 7. **Breastfeeding daughter** - one who breastfed from your wife, making you her father through breastfeeding **Evidence:** Aisha رضي الله عنها reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Breastfeeding prohibits what birth prohibits" [Bukhari & Muslim] Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said about Hamza's daughter: "She is not lawful for me. She is my brother's daughter through breastfeeding. And breastfeeding prohibits what kinship prohibits" [Bukhari]