Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib. This was also the view of Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, al-Awza'i, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, and the adherents of legal opinion. (1)

Those who held that a small amount of nursing does not establish prohibition cited the report transmitted to us by Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Salihi: Abu Sa'id Muhammad ibn Musa al-Sayrafi informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm informed us; Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Hakam informed us; Anas ibn Iyad informed us, from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, who reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “One suckling or two sucklings do not establish prohibition through fosterage.” This is how some of them narrated this hadith. (2) Abdullah ibn Abi Mulaykah, however, narrated it from Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; and this is the correct version. (3)

Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsi informed us; Zahir ibn Ahmad informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Hashimi informed us; Abu Mus'ab informed us, from Malik, from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm, from Amrah bint Abd al-Rahman, from Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: “Among what Allah sent down in the Quran were ten known nursing sessions that established prohibition. They were then abrogated by five known nursing sessions. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, passed away while they were still among what was recited of the Quran.” (4)

As for those rendered unlawful through marriage, this is indicated by His saying: “And your wives’ mothers.” In summary, whoever contracts marriage with a woman is forbidden, by the contract itself, from marrying the mothers and grandmothers of the woman he marries, however far back they may be, whether through fosterage or blood relationship.

“And your stepdaughters who are under your guardianship, born of your wives with whom you have consummated marriage.” Stepdaughters is the plural of stepdaughter, meaning a woman’s daughter. She is called a stepdaughter because her stepfather raises her. His saying, “under your guardianship,” means under your care; it is said, “So-and-so is in the care of so-and-so,” when he is being raised by him. “With whom you have consummated marriage” means: with whom you have had intercourse.

Also forbidden to him, after consummating the marriage with the woman he marries, are her daughters and the daughters of her children, however far removed they may be, whether through fosterage or blood relationship. Thus, if he separates from the woman he marries before consummating the marriage, or if she dies, it is permissible for him to marry her daughter, [but it is not permissible for him to marry her mother] (5), because Allah, exalted is He, stated the prohibition of mothers without qualification, whereas regarding the prohibition of stepdaughters He said:

“But if you have not consummated marriage with them, then there is no blame upon you”—that is, in marrying their daughters if you separate from them or they die. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “A woman’s mother does not become forbidden except through consummating marriage with the daughter, just like the stepdaughter.”

“And the wives of your sons who are from your own loins,” meaning the wives of your sons. The singular is ḥalīlah (wife), and the masculine form is ḥalīl (husband),