among the scholars: one view is that it belongs to the first husband, another that it belongs to the second, and a third that it belongs to both. According to the view we have adopted, it must belong to the second husband, because she is his wife; and since his child is attributed to her, the infant she nurses while she is married to him is his child alone.

These are not merely theoretical questions; rather, they are practical matters, for they may occur frequently. A woman may marry while still having milk, so these rulings must be applied to such circumstances. Likewise, a woman may be divorced by her husband, or he may die, and then, after some time, she may produce milk for one of her sons or one of her daughters’ children and nurse him. To whom, then, is the milk attributed? This depends upon the disagreement we have mentioned.

The mahrams of the man to whom the milk is attributed are mahrams to the nursling, and the mahrams of the nursing woman are likewise mahrams to the nursling—except for the nursling’s parents, their ascendants, and their descendants. Thus, the nursing woman is lawful in marriage to the nursling’s father and his brother by blood, while the nursling’s mother and sister by blood are lawful to the nursing woman’s father and brother. Whoever is forbidden from marrying her daughter, if she nurses a girl, makes that girl forbidden to him as well. ...

His statement, “The mahrams of the man to whom the milk is attributed are mahrams to the nursling, and the mahrams of the nursing woman are likewise mahrams to the nursling,” means that the mahrams of the man to whom her milk is attributed become mahrams to the nursling, and the mahrams of the nursing woman also become mahrams to the nursling. Thus, if a man was nursed by a woman named Aisha, and Aisha has mahrams, then Aisha’s mahrams are his mahrams: her daughter, paternal aunt, and maternal aunt are all his mahrams. Likewise, the mahrams of the owner of the milk are his mahrams: his son, father, brother, paternal uncle, and maternal uncle—all are mahrams, and so on. In both cases, the mahrams include ascendants, descendants, and collateral relatives. This applies with respect to the nursing woman and the owner of the milk.

As for the nursling, the author says, “except for his parents,” meaning the nursling’s parents.

His statement, “their ascendants,” refers to the grandfather and grandmother.

His statement, “and their descendants,” refers to brothers and paternal uncles. These are individual cases, so we return to the governing principle: with respect to the nursling, the prohibition extends to his descendants