Chapter on Nursing
Introduction

Riḍāʿ (nursing)—the first consonant may be read with a fatḥa or a kasra—is the verbal noun of raḍiʿa al-thady, “to suck the breast.”

In Islamic law it is defined as sucking or drinking milk that has been produced as a result of pregnancy.

The legal status of nursing is firmly established by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and unanimous scholarly consensus, and the relevant texts are well known.

In the Noble Qur’an the Almighty says, “Your mothers who nursed you and your sisters through nursing [are forbidden to you]” (Qur’an 4:23).

In the Sunnah, both Ṣaḥīḥ collections record on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that the Prophet ﷺ said, “What is forbidden through nursing is what is forbidden through lineage.”

The scholars agree that nursing makes marriage between the parties unlawful and creates a maḥram relationship that allows looking at each other and being alone together, but it does not entail financial maintenance, inheritance, or guardianship in marriage.

The wisdom behind this bond of kinship is plain: when an infant is nourished by a woman’s milk, his flesh grows from it, making her akin to a blood relative.

For this reason the scholars discouraged engaging a wet-nurse who is an unbeliever, a flagrant sinner, ill-tempered, or suffering from a contagious disease, for such traits may pass to the child.

Conversely, they recommended choosing a wet-nurse of wholesome constitution and good character, because nursing can influence a child’s disposition.