Rare Ahadith

“I once said to abu al-Hassan, al-Madiy (previous) (a.s.), that I have married a woman and found out that she had breastfed me and had breastfed her sister. He (the narrator) has said that he (the Imam) asked, ‘How much had she done so? 5 I replied, ‘It was a little.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘May Allah make it a blessing for you.’”

“About the case of a man who married the sister of his brother of breastfeeding, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘I do not like one’s marriage to the sister of his brother of breastfeeding.’”

“This is concerning my question before Allah’s virtuous servant (a.s.), about the case of my mother who has breastfed a girl along with me. He (the Imam) said, ‘She is your sister of breastfeeding.’ I then asked if she is lawful for my brother from my mother’s side whom she has not breastfed with his milk, that is not from this pregnancy but from another pregnancy. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Is the ‘impregnating agent’ (husband) one?’ I replied, ‘Yes, she is my sister from my parents.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Because of the milk of “impregnating agent” your father has become her father and your mother her mother.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If a man marries a small girl and she is breastfed by his wife his marriage becomes invalid.’ I then asked about the case of woman of a man who breastfeeds a girl; if her sons from another husband can marry her (the girl). He (the Imam) said, ‘No, they cannot do so.’ I then asked, ‘Is she like a sister of breastfeeding?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, from the side of the father.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once a man came to ’Amir al-Mu’minin, and said, ‘O ’Amir al-Mu’minin, my wife drained her milk in a bowl and made my slave-girl to drink it.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Make your woman suffer (judicially applicable punishment) and keep your slave- girl’. This is how it is in the judgment of Ali (a.s.).”’

“About the case of a man who marries a small girl and his wife breastfeeds her or the mother of his children, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘She becomes unlawful for him.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Breastfeeding that grows flesh and blood is the one that he drinks until he feels weary and disinterested and his breath ends.”’

“I once said to abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), that my son and the daughter of my brother are in my care and I want to arrange marriage between them but certain ones of my family has said that she has breastfed both of them. He (the Imam) asked, ’How much breastfeeding has taken place?’ I replied, ’I do not know.’ He (the Imam) said, ’Inform me so then I determine.’ He (the narrator) has said, that I then said, ’I do not know.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You can arrange marriage between them.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who alleges that she has breastfed a woman and a boy, then she denies. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Do you accept her words of denial?’ I replied, ‘She said it and alleged that she has breastfed them.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not accept or say yes to her words.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not proper for a woman to get married to her paternal or maternal uncle of breastfeeding.’”

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘You must not marry a woman as a second wife, the first being her paternal aunt, maternal aunt of breastfeeding or her sister of breastfeeding. He (the Imam) said that Ali ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that daughter of Hamzah was mentioned before the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, and he (the Messenger of Allah) said, “Do you not know that she is daughter of my brother of breastfeeding?” The Messenger of Allah and his uncle Hamzah were breastfed by one woman.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who allows her milk without giving birth and breastfeeds a girl or a boy with that milk; if because of such milk the unlawfulness on account of breastfeeding comes into existence. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, unlawfulness does not come into existence.’”

“Once abu Ja‘far (a.s.), was asked about the case of a man who married a small girl, then his wife breastfed her, then his other woman breastfed her. Ibn Shubramah has said that the girl and both of his wives become unlawful for him. Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Ibn Shubramah has made a mistake. The girl and his wife who first breastfed her become unlawful but his other wife is not unlawful because her case is like her breastfeeding her own daughter.’”

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ’Prohibit your wives from breastfeeding many children, left and right, because they forget.’”

“One of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ’Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ’If a boy is breastfed by different women and it is up to the required number or his flesh and blood grow, the daughters of all of them become unlawful for him for marriage.’”

“This is concerning a question before abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, when I was present, about the case of a woman who has breastfed her own slave boy from her milk until weaning; if she can sell him. He (the narrator) has said, that he (the Imam) said, ‘No, because he is her son of breastfeeding. Selling him and consuming his price is unlawful for her.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Has the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, not said, “Whoever is unlawful for marriage because of lineage is unlawful because breastfeeding.’””

“This is concerning my question before abu al-Hassan, Musa, Alayhi al-Salam, about the case of mother of my child who is truthful and who alleges that she has breastfed my slave-girl: if I must accept her word. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, do not accept her word.’”

“I once wrote to abu Muhammad, Alayhi al-Salam, and asked, ‘A woman has breastfed the son of a man; if the man can marry the daughter of breastfeeding woman. He (the Imam) signed the answer, ‘No, he cannot marry because it is not lawful for him.’”