14th December 2023
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Question: A sister is having trouble conceiving naturally. She has no kids. Her friend, who is a pharmacist and said she can take medication to initiate breast milk supply from her body so she can adopt (foster) a baby and breastfeed him/her and therefore have a milk child as opposed to just having an adopted child and then having issues with purdah when the child reaches maturity. Would this be permissible in Islām?
الجواب حامداً و مصلياً
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
In reference to your case in question, yes it would be permissible and if the medication induces natural milk and she breast feeds an infant under two years of age (or two and a half years at most) then milk-kinship relationship is now established between her and this infant. She becomes the milk-kin mother to this infant and purdah won’t be necessary if this infant was a male child. However, her husband does not become this child’s milk-kin father and if it was a female child then purdah would be necessary. This is because for him to be the milk-kin father, her milk must be produced through him to establish a connection between him and the infant, but because the milk was produced due to the medication only, no direct connection exists between him and this child and hence, his milk-kinship relationship is not established with this infant.[1]
Allāh Knows Best
Written by: Apa Sumayya Qazi Reviewed by: Mufti Abdul Waheed
Attested by: Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Fatawa Hindiyyah, Kitāb Ridā’, vol 1, p. 377
إذَا طَلَّقَ الرَّجُلُ امْرَأَتَهُ وَلَهَا لَبَنٌ فَتَزَوَّجَتْ بِزَوْجٍ آخَرَ بَعْدَ مَا انْقَضَتْ عِدَّتُهَا وَوَطِئَهَا الثَّانِي أَجْمَعُوا أَنَّهَا إذَا وَلَدَتْ مِنْ الثَّانِي فَاللَّبَنُ مِنْ الثَّانِي وَيَنْقَطِعُ مِنْ الْأَوَّلِ وَأَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَنَّهَا إذَا لَمْ تَحْبَلْ مِنْ الثَّانِي فَاللَّبَنُ مِنْ الْأَوَّلِ وَإِذَا حَبِلَتْ مِنْ الثَّانِي وَلَكِنْ لَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُ، قَالَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى -: اللَّبَنُ يَكُونُ مِنْ الْأَوَّلِ حَتَّى تَلِدَ مِنْ الثَّانِي كَذَا فِي الْمُحِيطِ.
رَجُلٌ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً وَلَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُ قَطُّ ثُمَّ نَزَلَ لَهَا لَبَنٌ فَأَرْضَعَتْ صَبِيًّا كَانَ الرَّضَاعُ مِنْ الْمَرْأَةِ دُونَ زَوْجِهَا حَتَّى لَا يَحْرُمَ عَلَى الصَّبِيِّ أَوْلَادُ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ مِنْ غَيْرِ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةِ
وَلَوْ وَطِئَ امْرَأَةً بِشُبْهَةٍ فَحَبِلَتْ مِنْهُ فَأَرْضَعَتْ صَبِيًّا فَهُوَ ابْنُ الْوَاطِئِ مِنْ الرَّضَاعِ وَعَلَى هَذَا كُلُّ مَنْ ثَبَتَ نَسَبُهُ مِنْ الْوَاطِئِ ثَبَتَ مِنْهُ الرَّضَاعُ وَفِي كُلِّ مَوْضِعٍ لَا يَثْبُتُ نَسَبُ الْوَلَدِ مِنْهُ ثَبَتَ الرَّضَاعُ مِنْ الْأُمِّ كَذَا فِي الْمُضْمَرَاتِ
رَجُلٌ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً فَوَلَدَتْ مِنْهُ وَلَدًا فَأَرْضَعَتْ وَلَدَهَا ثُمَّ يَبِسَ لَبَنُهَا ثُمَّ دَرَّ لَهَا لَبَنٌ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأَرْضَعَتْ صَبِيًّا كَانَ لِهَذَا الصَّبِيِّ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ أَوْلَادَ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْمُرْضِعَةِ كَذَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ
Durrul Mukhtār wa hashiyah Ibn Ābideen Shāmi, Kitāb Ridā’, vol 9 p. 72
(طَلَّقَ ذَاتَ لَبَنٍ فَاعْتَدَّتْ وَتَزَوَّجَتْ) بِآخَرَ (فَحَبِلَتْ وَأَرْضَعَتْ) (فَحُكْمُهُ مِنْ الْأَوَّلِ) لِأَنَّهُ مِنْهُ بِيَقِينٍ فَلَا يَزُولُ بِالشَّكِّ وَيَكُونُ رَبِيبًا لِلثَّانِي (حَتَّى تَلِدَ) فَيَكُونَ اللَّبَنُ مِنْ الثَّانِي
(قَوْلُهُ طَلَّقَ ذَاتَ لَبَنٍ) أَيْ مِنْهُ، بِأَنْ وَلَدَتْ مِنْهُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً وَلَمْ تَلِدْ مِنْهُ قَطُّ وَنَزَلَ لَهَا لَبَنٌ وَأَرْضَعَتْ وَلَدًا لَا يَكُونُ الزَّوْجُ أَبًا لِلْوَلَدِ لِأَنَّ نِسْبَتَهُ إلَيْهِ بِسَبَبِ الْوِلَادَةِ مِنْهُ، وَإِذَا انْتَفَتْ انْتَفَتْ النِّسْبَةُ فَكَانَ كَلَبَنِ الْبِكْرِ، وَلِهَذَا لَوْ وَلَدَتْ لِلزَّوْجِ فَنَزَلَ لَهَا لَبَنٌ فَأَرْضَعَتْ بِهِ ثُمَّ جَفَّ لَبَنُهَا ثُمَّ دَرَّ فَأَرْضَعَتْهُ صَبِيَّةً فَإِنَّ لِابْنِ زَوْجِ الْمُرْضِعَةِ التَّزَوُّجَ بِهَذِهِ الصَّبِيَّةِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ صَبِيًّا كَانَ لَهُ التَّزَوُّجُ بِأَوْلَادِ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْمُرْضِعَةِ بَحْرٌ عَنْ الْخَانِيَّةِ