{"id":268,"date":"2026-11-11T11:30:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T11:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/?p=268"},"modified":"2026-11-11T11:30:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T11:30:41","slug":"rada-the-law-of-nursing-relationships-in-imam-al-nawawis-minhaj-al-talibin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/rada-the-law-of-nursing-relationships-in-imam-al-nawawis-minhaj-al-talibin\/","title":{"rendered":"Rada’: The Law of Nursing Relationships in Imam al-Nawawi’s Minhaj al-Talibin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part 3: Family Law (Munakahat) – Fosterage (Rada\u2019)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Part of a series on the structure of Minhaj al-Talibin, the classical Shafi’i legal manual. Section 8 of Part 3 (Family Law).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the Book of the Waiting Period, Imam al-Nawawi (631\u2013676 AH \/ 1233\u20131277 CE) presents the Book of Nursing (Kitab al-Rada’<\/em>). The word refers to the feeding of an infant with a woman’s milk, and in the legal sense it concerns the relationships that this feeding creates. In Islamic law, a woman who nurses a child under certain conditions becomes in a limited legal sense his mother, and the persons connected with her become related to him in ways that make marriage between them forbidden. The topic is placed in the part on family law because it extends the list of those whom one may not marry, which was set out in the Book of Marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basis is found in the Qur’an, in the verse that lists the women forbidden in marriage, which includes the mothers who nursed a person and the sisters through nursing. A report in the collections of the Prophet’s sayings adds the general rule that nursing makes unlawful what lineage makes unlawful. This article follows the main themes of the book in the general order of the Minhaj<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The principle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The central principle is that nursing creates a bond of prohibition (hurmah<\/em>), similar to that of kinship, though more limited. The jurists call the women who nurse a child his “mothers by nursing,” and the children of the nurse his “brothers and sisters by nursing.” The effects are specific to marriage and to the rules of seclusion and looking, which are the matters for which the law treats these persons as close relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The conditions for the nursing to have effect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The school sets strict conditions, since not every instance of nursing creates the bond. The book lists them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The woman<\/strong>: the milk must come from a woman who is alive and who has reached the age at which she can bear children, which the school sets at nine lunar years. The milk of a man or of a deceased woman has no effect. The woman need not be married or have given birth, since the milk of any woman counts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The child<\/strong>: he must be under two lunar years of age at the time of nursing. This follows the Qur’an, which speaks of two full years as the period of nursing. Nursing after that age does not create the bond.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The number of feedings<\/strong>: there must be five separate and certain feedings. The school bases this on a report from the Prophet’s wife ‘A’ishah, who said that ten feedings were once revealed, which were then reduced to five. A single feeding, or several in a single sitting, does not suffice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The manner<\/strong>: the milk must reach the child’s stomach. This occurs through suckling, or through drinking the milk that has been drawn, or through the nose into the head in the school’s position. It does not apply to milk applied externally or injected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    3. What counts as a feeding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A problem that the book addresses is how to count the five feedings. The school holds that each is to be determined by custom. A feeding ends when the infant releases the breast on his own, because he has had enough or because he has turned away. If he stops for a moment because of a distraction, or because the mother changes position, and returns immediately, it is counted as one feeding. If he stops and resumes after a significant interval, it counts as another. The school also explains how to treat milk that is collected and given in several portions, with similar rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Who becomes related to whom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Who<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The prohibition spreads in a defined pattern, which the book sets out. The nurse becomes the child’s mother by nursing. Her husband, the man whose relationship with her caused the milk to flow, becomes his father by nursing. The prohibition therefore extends to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • The nurse and her ascendants, such as her mother and grandmother, who are the child’s grandmothers by nursing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The nurse’s husband and his ascendants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The nurse’s children by that husband, and by others, who are the child’s brothers and sisters by nursing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The nurse’s sisters and the sisters of her husband, who are the child’s maternal and paternal aunts by nursing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The child’s own descendants, whose relationship to the nurse follows his.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The prohibition does not extend to the nursed child’s own brothers and sisters, or to his other relatives. A brother of the nursed child may marry the nurse’s daughter, since they are not related to one another. The school explains this direction of the relationship as one that goes from the nurse to the child and his descendants, not the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      5. What nursing does not create<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The book is clear that nursing relationships do not have all the effects of kinship. They create the prohibition of marriage and the permission to be in each other’s company and to look at one another as relatives, within the limits of the law. They do not create rights of inheritance, an obligation of financial support, or a right of guardianship. A child is not an heir of his nurse, and the nurse is not responsible for his maintenance. This distinction shows that the bond is a legal one specific to the rules of marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      6. Proving the nursing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The book discusses how a claim of nursing is established. The school requires full evidence for it, either the testimony of two just men, or, in the position the school relies upon, the testimony of four just women, or a man and two women, or an acknowledgment by the persons concerned. The witnesses must state the facts that establish the effect, such as the number of feedings and the manner. A bare statement that a woman nursed a child, without these details, is not sufficient. If there is doubt about whether five feedings took place, or whether the child was under two years old, the school applies the principle that the original permissibility continues, and the prohibition is not established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The school adds that, as a matter of caution, a person who is aware of a possible nursing relationship should avoid marriage where there is real doubt, even where the proof is not complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      7. Discovering the relationship after marriage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The book considers the case of a marriage that is discovered to be forbidden because of nursing. The marriage is invalid and must be ended. The consequences for the dowry and for the children depend on whether the marriage was consummated, and on the parties’ knowledge, in the same way as in other invalid marriages. If a husband or wife acknowledges the relationship, the school sets out when the acknowledgment is accepted and its effects on the dowry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      8. Related matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The book closes with a few related rules. It treats the case of milk mixed with other liquids, the case of a woman who has milk without ever having been pregnant, and the case in which several women nurse a child. The Qur’an’s encouragement to nurse infants for two years is noted in this context, along with the fact that the mother is not forced to nurse if there is a reason, and that the father is responsible for the cost, which is dealt with in the next book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why the order matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      The book begins with the source and the principle, then sets out the conditions, which are the most important part because they define when the bond exists. It then describes the persons who become related and those who do not, and ends with proof and special cases. This order lets the student see the rule first, then its limits, and then its application, which is the order in which the law is used in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Closing reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      For al-Nawawi, the law of nursing recognizes that the closeness created by feeding a child is real and deserves respect. The strict conditions of age, number, and manner keep the rule from expanding beyond its intended scope, so that the prohibition rests on a clear and provable basis. The result is a body of law that balances the sanctity of the family bond against the need for certainty in the law of marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Note: This article summarizes the general Shafi’i position as presented in Minhaj al-Talibin. Details, including the required number of feedings and the standard of proof, differ among the schools and can vary between editions and commentaries. Readers who need a precise ruling should consult a qualified teacher or scholar.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Part 3: Family Law (Munakahat) – Fosterage (Rada\u2019) Part of a series on the structure of Minhaj al-Talibin, the classical<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","video_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[69,12,97,15,14,98],"class_list":["post-268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-part-3-family-law-munakahat","tag-family-law-munakahat","tag-fiqh","tag-fosterage","tag-imam-al-nawawi","tag-minhaj-al-thalibin","tag-rada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=268"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions\/271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lslam.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}