Breastfeeding in Islam

By Zaynab Umm Sulayman Fri, Apr 06, 2012 Breastfeeding is natural and normal and gives our babies the best start. Breastfeeding makes a big difference to our babys health now and in the future. Allah (SWT) has commanded us to breastfeed. There are several verses in the Quran which recommend breastfeeding. Due to a lack of awareness, Muslim women tend to miss this great opportunity to earn Allah (SWT)s pleasure. Breastfeeding is indeed a right our children have upon us. If we do not want to breastfeed then we are required to have a valid excuse not to do so and get someone else to breastfeed our babies. The importance of breastfeeding is highlighted by the following extract from part of a long hadith narrated by Abu Umamah (RA) based on one of Prophets dreams (SAW) of life in al-Barzakh (the period of time between death and the Day of Resurrection): We moved on, until we came upon women suspended upside-down from their Achilles tendons, snakes biting at their breast. I asked, Who are they? They replied, These are the women who deny their children their milk. (Recorded by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, al-Bayhaqi and others) The normal duration of breastfeeding is about two years. Allah (SWT) says: We have enjoined upon the human being to treat his parents with kindness. His mother bore him with weakness upon weakness; and his weaning is in two years. (Quran Surah 31:14) In another place, Allah (SWT) says, We have enjoined upon the human being to treat his parents with kindness. His mother bore him with hardship and delivered him with hardship. And his gestation and weaning (period) is thirty months. (Quran Surah 46:15) According to Ibn Abbas (RA) and many other scholars, the difference between the two ayat (30 versus 33 months 9 months pregnancy & 24 months weaning) reflects the difference between a short-term (6 month) and a full-term (9 month) pregnancy. In Islam, breastfeeding is a religious obligation upon both parents. The mother is suppose to provide the baby with her milk, however if for some reason she is unable to do so, the father needs to make arrangements for someone who can. Islam partially gives the relationships resulting from breastfeeding a status similar to that of blood relation. Aishah (RA), Ibn Abbas (RA) and Ali (RA) reported that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said: Indeed, Allah has prohibited (marriage) among suckling relatives as He has prohibited it among birth (or blood) relatives. (Al-Bukhari, Muslim & others) The following texts from the Quran cover most of the regulations pertaining to breastfeeding. Allah (SWT) says: Mothers may breastfeed their children two complete years for whoever wants to complete the nursing period. Upon the father is their (mothers) provision and clothing according to what is reasonable. No person is charged with more than his capacity. No mother should be harmed through her child, nor should a father be. And upon the heir (of the father) is a similar obligation (if the father dies). And if they both (parents) desire weaning through mutual consent and consultation, there is no blame upon either of them. And if you wish to have your children breastfed by a substitute, there is no blame upon you as long as you give payment according to what is reasonable. And revere Allah and know that Allah is Seeing of what you do. (Quran Surah 2:233)

Moreover, Allah (SWT) says in regard to the divorced wives iddah (waiting period): (During their iddah) lodge them (your divorced wives) of where you dwell out of your means and do not harm them in order to oppress them. And if they should be pregnant then spend on them until they give birth. And if they breastfeed for you, give them their payment and negotiate among yourselves in the acceptable way. But if you are in dispute, then another woman may breastfeed for him (the father). Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth. And he whose provision is restricted, let him spend from what Allah has given him. Allah does not require from a soul except according to what He has given it. Allah will bring about after hardship ease. (Quran Surah 65:6-7) During the breastfeeding term, the babys father is required to support the mother, even if she is divorced from him and this should be in accordance with his means. It is impermissible for the father to prevent the mother from breastfeeding her baby in order to cause her harm and aggravation. Similarly, it is impermissible for the mother to refuse to breastfeed her baby in order to harm or aggravate the father. If one of the babys parents thinks that there is the need to wean the baby prior to the end of the two year term, he (or she) should consult with the other parent. Weaning would then be allowed after the consultation and a joint agreement. With the parents joint agreement, it is permissible to hire another woman to breastfeed the baby. Shaykh Ibn ul-Qayyums advice on breastfeeding: Babies should only be fed the mothers milk until their teeth appear. Their stomach and digestive system (in the early months) are incapable of handling solid food. When the babys teeth come out, its stomach becomes stronger and ready for food. Indeed, Allah (SWT) delays the growth of teeth until the baby needs food. This is from His wisdom and kindness and out of mercy towards the mother and her breasts nipples, so that the baby would not bite them with its teeth. The babies should be given solid food in a gradual manner, starting with soft foods, such as wet bread, (animal) milk, yogurt, meat broth and so on. The parent should not be too disturbed by the babys crying and screaming, especially when the baby is hungry for milk. That crying benefits the baby tremendously, training its limbs, widening its intestines, broadening its chest and so on. The complete breastfeeding term is two years. This is right for the baby, if it needs it and cannot do without it. Allah swt confirmed this with the word complete, saying [Two complete years] so that no one would assume it to be less than this. When the breastfeeding mother wants to wean the baby, she should do so gradually. She should train the baby because of the harm involved in a sudden change of habits. And care should be taken not to force the baby to walk before he/she is ready, because that would cause its legs to become bent and twisted. When a nursing woman is approached by a man, she may get pregnant, which is one of the worst things for the baby who is nourished by her milk. The good blood would then be redirected to nourish the foetus in her wombThis would cause the milk in her breasts to become scarce and bad. Thus, when a nursing woman gets pregnant, it is best to prevent her from breastfeeding her baby and seek another wet-nurse for it (Tuhfat ul-Mawlud 140-145) Breastfeeding has many advantages over artificial feeding. The mothers milk is clean and sterilized and is at the right temperature for the baby. It is available whenever the baby needs it and remains fresh and does not go bad in storage. It is suitable for the babys digestive system and contains all the necessary nutrients for the baby. The mothers milk also provides baby with immunity against various infections. Breastfeeding suppresses obesity in mothers and babies and strengthens affection and emotional ties between the mother and her baby. Breastfeeding may be performed as an act of worship seeking through it Allah (SWT)s pleasure and acceptance. Further reading/references Our Precious Sprouts: Islamic Regulations for Newborns by Muhammad Al Jibaly By Zaynab Umm Sulayman Please login to post your comments.