𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 (511)

Clarifying the Meaning of ‘Five Sucklings’ in the Context of Prohibited Breastfeeding Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: ‘What constitutes a prohibited feeding (from a woman to a child) in terms of establishing non-marriage (mahram status)? ▪️-> Is it a single suckling, such that if a child sucks five times—even in one breath—the prohibition is established? ▪️-> Or is it that the feeding involves the child latching onto the breast, releasing it, taking a breath, and then returning? ✅ -> Or is a feeding considered equivalent to a meal, meaning that each feeding is separate from the others and not all in the same instance? On this matter, scholars have three opinions. The strongest, which is the view chosen by our Shaykh ‘Abdurrahmān ibn Sa‘di, may Allāh have mercy on him, is the last one. The reasoning is that we do not establish the prohibition of a woman, for example, except by evidence that allows no interpretation and admits no alternative understanding. The last opinion meets this condition, as it is the most stringent view. Accordingly, if a child suckles four separate feedings, taking five sucks in each feeding, the prohibition is not established according to the strongest opinion, because each feeding must be distinct from the others.’” [Ash-Sharh al-Mumti‘, 2/114] What if the child is bottle-fed? Ibn Qudamah, in Al-Kāfi (5/65), said: "If milk is poured into a vessel all at once, or in portions, and then given to a child at five separate times, it counts as five feedings. However, if it is given all at once, it counts as only one feeding, because the determining factor is the child’s act of drinking. The prohibition is established based on that, so what matters is whether the drinking occurs separately or together."