The Book of Suckling

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported tha Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was with her and she heard the voice of a person seeking permission to enter the house of Hafsa. 'A'isha (Allah he pleased with her) said: Allah's Messenger, he is the person who seeks permission to enter your house, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: I think he is so and so (uncle of Hafsa by reason of fosterage). 'A'isha said: Messenger of Allah, if so and so (her uncle by reason of fosterage) were alive, could he enter my house? Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Yes. Fosterage makes unlawful what consanguinity makes unlawful.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Fosterage makes unlawful what consanguinity makes unlawful.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Aflah, the brother of Abu'l-Qu'ais, who was her uncle by reason of fosterage, came, and asked her permission (to enter the house) after seclusion (Hijab) was instituted. I refused to admit him. When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came, I informed him what I had done. He commanded me to grant him permission (as the brother of her foster-father was also her uncle).

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: There came to me Aflah b. Abu Qulais, my uncle by reason of fosterage; the rest of the hadith is the same (but with this) addition:" I ('A'isha) said (to the Holy Prophet): It was the woman who suckled me and not the man, whereupon he (Allah's Messenger) said: May your hands or your right hand be besmeared with dust (you were mistaken)."

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that there came Aflah the brother, of Abu'l-Qu'ais, who sought her permission (to enter) after seclusion was instituted, and AbuQu'ais was the father of 'A'isha by reason of fosterage. 'A'isha said: By Allah, I would not permit Aflah unless I have solicited the opinion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) for Abu Qulais has not suckled me, but his wife has given me suck. 'A'isha' (Allah be pleased with her) said: When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) entered, I said: Allah's Messenger, Aflah is the brother of Abu'l-Qulais; he came to me to seek my permission for entering (the houst). I did not like the idea of granting him permission until I had solicited your opinion. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Grant him permission. 'Urwa said it was on account of this that 'A'isha used to say. What is unlawful by reason of consanguinity is unlawful by reason of fosterage.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters (that 'A'isha said): There came Aflah, the brother of Abu'l Qulais (Allah be pleased with him), and sought permission from her, the rest of the hadith is the same (except for the words that the Holy Prophet) said:" He is your uncle. Let your hand be besmeared with dust. Abu'l Qulais was the husband of the woman who had suckled 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her).

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: My foster uncle came to me and sought permission (to enter the house), but I refused him permission until I had solicited the opinion of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came, I said to him: My foster-uncle sought my permission to (enter the house), but I did not permit him, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: You better admit your uncle (into the house). I ('A'isha) said: It was the woman who suckled me and not the man. (But he) said: He is your uncle, admit him.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): " The brother of Abu'l-Qu'ais sought permission from her ('A'isha) (to enter the house). The rest is the same.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of words.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: My foster-uncle Abu'l Ja'd (kunya of Aflah) sought permission from me, which I refused. (Hisham said to me that Abu'l-Ja'd was in fact Abu'l-Qu'ais). When Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) came, I ('A'isha) informed him about it. He said: Why did you not permit him? Let your right hand or hand be besmeared with dust.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that her foster-uncle whose name was Aflah sought permission from her (to enter the house) but she observed seclusion from him, and informed Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) who said to her: Don't observe veil from him for he is Mahram (one with whom marriage cannot be contracted) on account of fosterage as one is Mahram on account of consanguinity.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Aflah b. Qu'ais sought permission from me (to enter the house), but I refused to grant him the permission, and he sent me (the message saying): I am your uncle (in the sense) that the wife of my brother has suckled you, (but still) I refused to grant him permission. There came the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and I made a mention of it to him, and he said: He can enter (your house), for he is your uncle.

'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) reported having said this: Messenger of Allah, why is it that you select (your wife) from among the Quraish, but you ignore us (the nearest of the kin)? Thereupon he said: Have you anything for me (a suitable match for me)? I said; Yes, the daughter of Hamza, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: She is not lawful for me, for she is the daughter of my brother by reason of fosterage.

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters.

Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported: It was proposed that he (the Holy Prophet) be married to the daughter of Hamza, whereupon he said: She is not lawful for me for she is the daughter of my foster-brother, and that is unlawful by reason of fosterage what is unlawful by reason of genealogy.

A hadith like this is narrated on the authority of Hammam, Sa'id, Bishr b 'Umar, but with a small variation of words.

Umm Salama (Allah be pleased with her), the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), said: It was said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Is not the daughter of Hamza a suitable match for you? Or it was said: Why don't you propose to marry the daughter of Hamza, the son of Abd al-Muttalib? Thereupon he said: Hamza is my brother by reason of fosterage.

Umm Habiba, the daughter of AbuSufyan, reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to me and I said to him: Have you any inclination towards my the daughter of Abu Sufyan? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Then what should I do? I said: Marry her. He said: Do you like that? I said: I am not the exclusive (wife) of yours; I, therefore, wish to join my sister in good. He, said: She is not lawful for me. I said: I have been informed that you have given the proposal of marriage to Durrah daughter of Abu Salama He raid: You mean the daughter of Umm Salama? I said: Yes. He said: Even if she had not been my step-daughter brought up under my guardianship, she would not have been lawful for me, for she is the daughter of my foster-brother (Hamza), for Thuwaiba had suckled me and her father. So do not give me the proposal of the marriage of your daughters and sisters.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters.

Umm Habiba, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), reported that she said to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, marry my sister 'Azza, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Do you like it? She said: Yes, Messenger of Allah, I am not the exclusive wife of yours, and I wish that the person who joins me in good should be my sister. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: That is not lawful for me. I said: Messenger of Allah, we discussed that You intend to marry Durrah bint Abu Salama. He (the Holy Prophet) said: You mean the daughter of Abu Salama? She said: Yes, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may. peace be upon him) said: Even if she were not the step-daughter of mine, brought up under my guardianship, she would not have been lawful for me, for she is the daughter of my foster-brother. Thuwaiba gave me suck and to Abu Salama (also), so do not offer to me your daughters and sisters.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her), Suwaid and Zubair reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: One suckling or two do not make (marriage) unlawful.

Umm al-Fadl reported: A bedouin came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) when he was in my house and said: Allah's Apostle, I have had a wife and I married another besides her, and my first wife claimed that she had suckled once or twice my newly married wife, thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: One suckling or two do not make the (marriage) unlawful.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that a person from Banu 'Amir b. Sa'sa said: Allah's Apostle, does one suckling make the (marriage) unlawful? He said: No.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Being suckled once or twice, or one suckling or two, do not make marriage unlawful.

In the narration transmitted on the authority of Ibn Bishr there is a mention of two sucklings and Ibn Abu Shaiba has narrated it with a small variation of wording.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be'apon him) having said this: One or two sucklings do not make (the marriage) unlawful.

Umm Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) reported that a person asked Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him): Does one suckling make (the marriage) unlawful? He said: No.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with, her) reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qur'an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qur'an (and recited by the Muslims).