Breastfeeding an Adopted Child and Establishing the Raḍāʿah Relationship

Breastfeeding an Adopted Child and Establishing the Raḍāʿah Relationship

By: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi
Oxford

Question:
Dr. Farhat Hashimi, the esteemed teacher and preacher, shared a question from one of her students:
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh
Dearest Ustazah, I hope and pray that you are in the best state of health and Īmān.
Ustazah, I needed clarity since someone has asked regarding adoption.
If a woman adopts a newly born child and gets hormones for her own milk supply and eventually is able to feed the child, is this allowed? And will this make the relation of raḍāʿah?

Answer:
Wa ʿalaykum as-salām wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh,

It is permissible for a woman to breastfeed a child, and through this breastfeeding, the child becomes her milk-son or milk-daughter. This ruling applies whether the breastfeeding occurs naturally or through the stimulation of milk production, for example by using hormones or other medically permissible methods to induce lactation.

Therefore, if a woman adopts a newly born child and takes steps to stimulate her milk supply in order to feed the child, this is fully allowed in Sharīʿah. Once the child receives a sufficient quantity of her milk, according to the conditions established by jurists, the child attains the status of raḍāʿah, thereby establishing a recognised legal breastfeeding relationship.

This relationship carries important legal and social implications. For example, it creates prohibitions on marriage between the milk-mother and her milk-son or milk-daughter, as well as between other children breastfed by the same woman. It also affects rules of modesty, and familial boundaries in the ways outlined by Islamic jurisprudence.

In summary, the act of breastfeeding an adopted child through natural means or induced lactation is permissible, and once the child has been sufficiently nourished, it establishes the raḍāʿah relationship with all its associated rights and rulings.

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