Limits of Breastfeeding to Take Effect

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Breastfeeding does not bring unlawfulness unless it makes the flesh to grow and the bones to strengthen.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of breastfeeding and its minimum limit that brings unlawfulness. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is an amount of breastfeeding that makes the flesh or blood grow.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Do you think once can do it?’ I replied, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, I ask you, can twice do it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it cannot do it.’ I kept counting up to ten times breastfeeding.”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about breastfeeding and its minimum limit that makes marriage unlawful. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is an amount that grows flesh and blood.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘Do you think once can do it?’ I replied, ‘I pray to Allah to keep you well, I ask you, can twice do it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, it cannot do so.’ I continued counting until ten times breastfeeding.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Breastfeeding once, twice or three times does not bring unlawfulness.’”

‘Breastfeeding does not bring unlawfulness unless it grows flesh and blood.’”

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), if breastfeeding once or twice brought unlawfulness or three times. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, until it strengthens bones and grows flesh.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about breastfeeding and who becomes unlawful for marriage thereby. He (the Imam) said, ‘A man once asked my father (a.s.), about it and he said that once has no affect, and twice until he counted up to ten times breastfeeding.’ I then asked, ‘Are they one after the other or suckle after suckle?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘That is how he said to him and another man asked him (the Imam) about it and he (the Imam) counted up to nine times and said, “A great many times I am asked about breastfeeding.’” I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, tell me about your own words on this issue. What is the maximum limit according to you?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I just told you what my father had answered.’ I then said, ‘I took notice of what your father has said but I thought perhaps there is a limit for it which he did not inform, thus you inform me about it.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is how my father has said.’ I then asked, ‘My mother breastfed a girl with my milk.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘She is your sister because of breastfeeding.’ I then asked, ‘Is she lawful for marriage for my brother from whose milk she was not breastfed?’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Is the father (whose going to bed has its effect on the milk) one?’ I replied, ‘Yes, he is my brother from my father and mother.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Milk is because of the effect of father’s going to bed. Your father becomes her father and your mother becomes her mother.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a boy who is breastfed once and twice. He (the Imam) said, ‘It does not cause unlawfulness.’ I counted up to ten times breastfeeding. He (the Imam) said, ‘If they are on different times they do not cause unlawfulness.’”

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I belong to a large family. On different occasions of happiness and sorrow during which men and women come together women feel shy removing their head scarf before men between whom there is breastfeeding relationship or men fear looking to that, so who becomes unlawful because of breastfeeding. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is what grows flesh and blood.’ I then asked, ‘What grows flesh and blood?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It has been said that it is ten times breastfeeding.’ I then asked, ‘Does ten times bring unlawfulness?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Leave that alone.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Whoever is unlawful for marriage because of being a relative becomes unlawful because of breastfeeding.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Breastfeeding does not bring unlawfulness unless it strengthens the bones and grows flesh, and one or two or three times breastfeeding even up to ten times on different times does not bring the unlawfulness affect.’”