As for blood relation, the mahrams are: one’s father, son, brother, paternal uncle, nephew through one’s brother, nephew through one’s sister, and maternal uncle. These are seven mahrams through blood relation, and the woman is permanently forbidden in marriage to all of them.

The mahrams through nursing are exactly like those through blood relation. Thus, her mahrams through nursing are her nursing father, nursing son, nursing brother, nursing paternal uncle, nursing maternal uncle, son of her nursing brother, and son of her nursing sister: seven through nursing and seven through blood relation, making fourteen altogether.

The mahrams through marital affinity are four: the woman’s husband’s father, her husband’s son, her mother’s husband, and her daughter’s husband. They are her husband’s ascendants—that is, his fathers and grandfathers—and his descendants, namely his sons and the sons of his sons and daughters, no matter how far removed; as well as her mother’s husband and her daughter’s husband. However, three become mahrams merely through the marriage contract: the woman’s husband’s father, her husband’s son, and her daughter’s husband. As for her mother’s husband, he does not become a mahram unless he has consummated the marriage with her mother.

His statement, “a lawful cause,” excludes that by which prohibition is established through an unlawful cause, such as the mother of a woman with whom one has committed fornication, and the mother and daughter of a male with whom one has committed sodomy—according to the view that this entails marital prohibition.

For example, if a man commits fornication with a woman, does he become a mahram to her mother?

The answer is no. Yet her mother is permanently forbidden to him in marriage, and so is her daughter.

However, the stronger view is that the mother of the woman with whom he committed fornication is not forbidden to the fornicator, nor is her daughter forbidden to him, because Allah