Meaning of Milk from Impregnating Agent (the Father)

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the milk of ‘impregnating agent’. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is the milk from your wife from your milk and the milk of your children given to the child of another woman and that child is unlawful (for marriage).”’

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who has two women, each of whom gives birth; and he divorces one of the two who has breastfed a girl of the people; if the son of this man can marry that girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, because she has given milk from the milk of the shaykh (man of the family).”’

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the milk of ‘impregnating agent’. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is the milk from your wife from your milk and the milk of your children given to the child of another woman and that child is unlawful (for marriage).”’

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a woman who breastfeeds a girl and her husband has a son from another woman if it is lawful for this boy, the son of her husband to marry the girl she has breastfed. He (the Imam) said, ‘The milk is from ‘impregnating agent’ her husband.’”

“About the case of a man who marries a woman who gives birth from him to a girl, then the woman dies and he marries another woman who gives birth to a boy, then she breastfeeds a boy; if this boy can marry the daughter of the woman who was the wife of the man before this woman. He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not like for him to marry the daughter of the ‘impregnating agent’ from whose milk he is breastfed.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the mother of the child of a man who has breastfed a child and he had a daughter from another woman; if the girl is lawful for that child. He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not like the marriage of the daughter of a man to one who is breastfed from the milk of his children.’”

“Al-Rida’ (a.s.), once asked me, ‘What do your people say about breastfeeding?’ I replied, They called it the milk of the ‘impregnating agent’ (husband) until a Hadith from you came to them that said, “Because of breastfeeding whoever is unlawful for marriage, as being a relative, becomes unlawful” then they returned to your words.’ He (the narrator) has said that he (the Imam) said, ‘It is because ’Amir al-Mu’minin, (the Caliph, Mamun) asked me last night about it and said, “Explain to me the milk of Fahl (‘impregnating agent’, husband) and I do not like words.” Then he said to me, “Bear with me as you are, so I can ask you about it which is what you have said about the case of a man who has several mothers of his children and one of them breastfeeds a stranger boy. Are all of the children of this man from all of the mothers of his children not lawful for marriage to this boy?” I said, “Yes they are unlawful for him.’” He (the narrator) has said, ‘Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), then said, ‘How is it that breastfeeding because of the milk of the ‘impregnating agent’ has an unlawfulness affect but not because of the breastfeeding of the mothers even though breastfeeding is by the mothers; still the milk of the ‘impregnating agent’ (husband), also brings unlawfulness.’”

‘Isa ibn Ja’far ibn ‘Isa who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu Ja‘far, al-Thaniy (a.s.), about a woman who breastfeeds a child for me: if it is lawful for me to marry a daughter of her husband. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is a very good question. It is because of this that people say, ‘His wife has become unlawful because of the milk of ‘impregnating agent’ (husband).’ This is the milk of ‘impregnating agent’ and nothing else. I then asked, ‘The girl is not a daughter of the woman who breastfed her. She is a daughter of another woman.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Even if they were ten different women, no one of them would have been lawful for you because of being as like your daughters.’”

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about the words of Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, ‘He is the one who has created human beings from water, then made him into lineage and in-law relationship.’ (25:54) He (the Imam) said, ‘Allah, most High, created Adam from sweet water and He created his spouse of his kind and carved her from his lower ribs, because of that rib, in-law and lineage relationship came into being. Lineage, O brother of banu ‘Ijl, is when the means are men; and in-laws are when the means are women.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then asked about the meaning of the words of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, “Because of breastfeeding whoever is unlawful for marriage due to kinship becomes unlawful for marriage.’” He (the Imam) said, ‘Every woman who breastfeeds from the milk of her “impregnating agent” (husband) the child of another woman, girls or boys, it then is the kind of breastfeeding which is mentioned in the words of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, “Because of breastfeeding unlawful becomes whoever is unlawful because of kinship relations.” However, if a woman breastfeeds a child with the milk of two impregnating agents that she may have had one after the other, and the child being a boy or a girl, it then is not of the kind of breastfeeding which is mentioned in the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah which says that what is unlawful because of the lineage is unlawful because of breastfeeding. It, because of the lineage of the in-law, is breastfeeding and it does not make anything unlawful when it is not for reason of breastfeeding from the side of the milk of ‘impregnating agent’ (husband) which makes it unlawful.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a boy who is breastfed by a woman; if it is lawful for him to marry her sister because of breastfeeding who is from her father’s side. He (the narrator) has said that he (the Imam) said, ’No, because all are breastfed from the milk of one “impregnating agent” (husband).’ He asked, ‘Can he marry her sister because of breastfeeding who is from her mother’s side?’ He (the narrator) has said, that he (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful because in the case of his sister who is breastfed, her “impregnating agent” (husband) is different from the one that has breastfed the boy so the two “impregnating agents” are different, thus it is not unlawful.’”

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who is breastfed when a child by a woman; if it is lawful for him to marry her sister because of breastfeeding from her mother’s side. He (the Imam) said, ‘If the two women are breastfed by one woman from the milk of one “impregnating agent” (husband), then it is unlawful but if the two women are breastfed by one woman with milk of two “impregnating agents” (husbands), then it is not unlawful.’”