Chapter on Breastfeeding

"Breastfeeding is for twenty-one months, and anything less than that is an injustice to the child."

Hadith.4662 - Sa'd ibn Sa'd asked Imam Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha (as) about whether a child can be breastfed for more than two years. Imam (as) replied: "Two years." I asked: "If it exceeds two years, is there any obligation upon the parents because of that?" Imam (as) said: "No."

Hadith.4663 - Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "There is no milk with greater blessing for a child to be nursed with than the milk of his mother."

Hadith.4664 - Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) looked at Umm Ishaq bint Sulayman while she was breastfeeding one of her two sons, either Muhammad or Ishaq, and Imam (as) said: "O Umm Ishaq, do not nurse him from only one breast; rather, nurse him from both. One will serve as food and the other as drink."

I asked Abu Ja'far Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as): "What is the meaning of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) - 'What is unlawful through lineage is also unlawful through breastfeeding'? Explain it to me." Imam (as) replied: "Every woman who nurses, with the milk of her husband, the child of another woman, whether the child is male or female, that is the breastfeeding (ridha') referred to by the Messenger of Allah (swt) (may Allah bless him and his family). But any woman who nurses, with the milk of two different husbands (one after the other), the child of another woman, whether male or female, this is breastfeeding that does not fall under the ruling of the statement of the Messenger of Allah (swt) 'What is prohibited through breastfeeding is the same as what is prohibited through lineage.'"

Hadith.4666 - The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "There is no breastfeeding after weaning."

"Breastfeeding within two years, before the child is weaned, establishes prohibition."

Ali ibn Shu'ayb wrote to Abu al-Hasan (as) asking: "A woman breastfed one of my children. Is it permissible for me to marry one of her children?" Imam (as) wrote in response, "That is not permissible because her children have become like your own children."

Hadith.4669 - Abdullah ibn Ja'far al-Himyari wrote to Abu Muhammad Al-Hasan ibn Ali Al-Askari (as) asking about a woman who breastfed a man's child. He asked: "Is it permissible for that man to marry the daughter of this wet nurse or not?" Imam (as) responded, "It is not permissible for him."

"If a man marries a young girl (jariyah) who is still nursing, and his wife then breastfeeds her, the marriage becomes invalid."

"Is it permissible for his child from another woman to marry that bondwoman whom she breastfed?" Imam (as) replied: "No, she is like a sister through breastfeeding because the milk comes from the same father."

"Breastfeeding does not create a prohibition except when it is continuous and intentional." I asked: "What is meant by continuous and intentional?" Imam (as) replied: "It is when a mother raises the child, a wet nurse is hired, or a bondwoman is purchased for breastfeeding."

"Breastfeeding does not create a prohibition except when a child nurses from one breast for a full year."

I asked him about breastfeeding, and Imam (as) said: "Breastfeeding does not create a prohibition except when a child nurses from one breast for two complete years."

"Breastfeeding does not create a prohibition except when it is for two complete years."

Prevent your women from breastfeeding here and there (to various children), for they may forget."

"Choose healthy wet nurses, for milk can transmit illness."

Hadith.4678 - Ali ibn Ja'far asked his brother Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (as) about a woman who committed adultery - whether she is suitable to be taken as a wet nurse. He (as) replied: "She is not suitable, nor is the milk of her daughter who was born from adultery."

Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "Do not choose a foolish woman as a wet nurse, for milk can transmit traits. A child is influenced by the milk, meaning by the wet nurse, in foolishness and ignorance."

I asked him about a man who gives his child to a Jewish, Christian, or Magian (Zoroastrian) wet nurse to breastfeed him either in her house or in his house. Imam (as) said: "A Jewish or Christian woman may breastfeed your child, but you must prevent her from drinking alcohol and consuming what is unlawful, such as pork. Do not let them take your child to their homes. A woman who is an adulteress must not breastfeed your child, for it is not permissible for you. A Magian woman must not breastfeed your child unless you are compelled to it."

"The milk of a Jewish, Christian, or Magian woman is more beloved to me than the milk of a child born from adultery. However, he saw no harm in the milk of a child born from adultery if the master of the bondwoman, with whom the immoral act was committed, pardons it."

I asked Imam (as) about a woman whose milk flowed without childbirth, and she breastfed a girl and a boy with that milk. Does this milk create the same prohibitions as regular breastfeeding? Imam (as) replied: "No."

Hadith.4683 - Abu Abdullah (as) said: "The sucking of milk by a child is equivalent to breastfeeding."

Hadith.4684 - Imam Abu Abdullah (as) said: "A free woman cannot be forced to breastfeed a child, but a but a bondwoman (umm al-walad) can be compelled to do so."

Hadith.4685 - The Commander of the Faithful (as), ruled regarding a man who passed away and left behind a child who needed to be breastfed: "The payment for the child's breastfeeding should be taken from what the child inherits from his father and mother."

a man came to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) and said: "My bondwoman has breastfed my child, and I want to sell her." Imam (as) replied: "Take her by the hand and say, 'Who will buy from me the mother of my child?'"