Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem
When I came across the matter this morning (that was about two years ago at the time of its being online) especially after having gone through what Al-Akh Al-Faadil, Ibrahim Raaji, posted over the issue and his wish that he could come up with more evidence to buttress his position, I immediately felt the inclination to make some compilation, Nasran Lil-Haqq, so that we would know that the matter is not a new one with the scholars.
Yes, I could remember that Abu Nâsir and Abu Sakeenah - may Allaah preserve the life of the duo - both wrote a book on travel of Muslim women without their Mahaarim (men prohibited to them in marriage except their husbands) wherein an issue like this came up, I think in the footnote. I do not have a copy of the book hence I would have quickly brushed over it and passed it across for it is similar if not better than what I have compiled.
The issue is 'breastfeeding' a grown-up man, when there is a dire necessity, to create a degree of prohibition in marriage and to allow the man to be free to enter the lady's presence without the latter having to be totally concealed from him.
The main hadith in support of the practice is the one below:
On the authority of Amr An-Naaqid and Ibn Abi Umar; they both said: Sufyaan bn Uyaynah told us from AbdurRahman Ibn al-Qaasim from his father then from Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with her) that Sahlah bint Suhayl came to the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) and said: 'O Messenger of Allâh, I see (hatred) in the eyes of Abu Hudhayfah (in Salîm's entry [into our house]) who is his ally.' Then the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) said: 'Give him (your) milk to drink.' She said: 'Why should I when he is a grown-up man?' Then the Messenger of Allâh (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) smiled and said: 'Of course, I know he is a grown-up man.' [Muslim reported it in the Chapter of 'Breastfeeding' Grown-Up Man (1453)].
In the route of Ishaaq bn Ibrahim Al-Handhali and Muhammad bn Abi Umar (also in Sahih Muslim, just below the one above), on the authority of Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with her); that Salîm the Maula of Abu Hudhayfah used to live with the latter and his wife in their home. Then the woman went to the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) and said: 'Verily Salîm has become a grown-up man and has become intelligent as men are (in the affairs of women), he used to enter upon us, and I think in my heart that Abu Hudhayfah abhors this.' Then the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) said to her: 'Give him your milk, you will become prohibited to him, and what is in Abu Hudhayfah's heart will veer off.' She later came back and said: 'I have given him my milk and what Abu Hudhayfah used to feel in his heart has disappeared.'
Clearly the hadithaan above are explicit enough. But that did not clear the doubt regarding their applicability. [Interestingly no scholar has said it is among those Ahâdith that scholars have said working with them is not necessary as Imam Trimidhi alluded to some in his Ilal with explanation however.]
Also it is important to know that Imam Al-Bukhâri reported a similar hadith in his Sahih, the Book of Nikkah, Chapter of Compatibility in the Deen (5088): On the authority of Abu Al-Yamân who said Shuaib told us from Az-Zuhrî who said: Ur'wah bn Az-Zubair told me from Âishah (may Allâh be pleased with her) that Abu Hudhayfah bn Ut'bah bn Rabî'ah bn Abdi-Shams – he was among those who witnessed the Battle of Badr with the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam), adopted Salîm and got him married to his niece, Hind bint Al-Walîd the son of Ut'bah bn Rabî'ah who was a former slave of a woman among the Ansâr. He did just as the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) adopted Zayd; and the practice was that whoever adopted a son in the Period of Jaahiliyyah would be seen as the person's father and the latter would inherit him, (it was like that) until Allâh revealed this Verse: 'Call them (the adopted sons) by their fathers' names…' [Ahzâb: 5]; thus those people were returned to their fathers, and whoever's father was not known would be called Maula (former slave) and a friend of his adopter. Thus Sahlah bint Suhayl bn Amr Al-Qrashi then Al-Aamiri – who was Abu Hudhyafah's wife – came to the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) and said: 'O Messenger of Allâh, we used to see Salîm as our son and Allâh has revealed about the matter what you know.' Then the hadith went on (meaning that Imam Bukhâri stopped there).
Al-Imam Ibn Hajar said in Fat'hul-Bâree that the completion of that (from where Al-Bukhâri stopped) can be found in Sunan Abee Dâwud and Al-Baraqaani. And the completion of that, without doubt, is what is contained in the versions of Muslim. Take note!
Thus the Ahadith establish the fact that it is permissible to give a woman's milk to a grown-up man when there is a necessity (a dire one!).
Some scholars have said the hadith is only specific to Salîm and the people mentioned in the hadith. In fact, other wives of the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) did not agree with Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with her) when she began to give the fatwa that her nieces should give the milk in their breast to certain men whom she liked that should always be within her reach (which was reported by Abu Dâwud and whose chain was graded as authentic by Ibn Hajar in Fat'hul-Baaree.)
In Sahih Muslim (1454), Ummu Salamah (may Allâh be pleased with her) used to say: 'The rest of the wives of the Prophet (sallaalahu alahy wa sallam) refused to allow anyone to enter upon them by such manner of suckling.' And they said to Âishah (may Allâh be pleased with her): 'By Allâh! We see this as nothing except a privilege the Messenger of Allâh granted only Salîm…' In another narration (also in Sahih Muslim) Ummu Salamah said to Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with both): 'The servant, Al-Ayfa', used to enter upon you which I dislike.' Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with her) replied: 'Don't you have the best example in the Messenger of Allâh?' Then she mentioned the incident of the wife of Abu Hudhayfah as evidence for her action.
[The Fiqh of Aisha over other wives of the Messenger of Allâh, may Allâh be pleased with all of them, is not hidden from Ulul-Al'baab!].
Ibn Hajar – may Allâh bestow mercy upon him – threw a full weight behind Aisha's opinion in Fathul-Baaree by saying that the claim (as expressed by Imams like Qurutubee, Tabaree, etc) that the act was specific to Sâlim is unfounded because the occasion that arose which necessitated the ruling was present in people whose case was (and are) similar to that of Sâlim and the wife of Abu Hudhayfah; thus when a need like that (Shadeedan, as Akhee Ibrahim quoted Shaykh Mash'huur in his post (on an internet forum)) arises then there is no problem in applying the ruling.
Also, the claim that the practice was abrogated holds no water. What indicates that was that the wife of Abu Hudhayfah herself, said Ibn Hajar, knew that the existing ruling was that a grown-up man could not be so treated, thus the Prophet (SallaLlâhu alayhi wa sallam) smiled because he too was aware of that but went ahead, as Allâh would command him, to lay a new rule to modify the existing one.
You can see a comprehensive analysis of that in Fat'hul-Baaree (4812).
As for how the 'breastfeeding ' would take place, Imam Nawawi – may Allâh bestow mercy upon him – said in his brief comment on the hadith in Shar'h Muslim (meaning that he saw it permissible), quoting Al-Imam Qâdi Iyâdh – may Allâh bestow mercy upon him:
'Perhaps she should squeeze the milk (of her breast into a container) and then he should drink it without sucking her breast, and without their body coming into a contact.' Imam Nawawi – may Allâh bestow mercy upon him – then said: 'What (Imam) Qaadi has said is fair. But it could mean that he (the man) will be pardoned if he puts her breast into his mouth in the process because of the necessity involved, and as it is specific to grown-up men (in this case).' [Sharh Muslim (2636).]
It will not be hidden from a right-thinking person the more applicability of the view of Imam Qadi Iyaadh than that of Imam Nawawi [Allaah knows better]. And as our own Shaykh Abdul-Muhsin Aal-Ubaykaan, he is indeed our own (just as other scholars of Sunnah are), has said, the woman should only squeeze the milk of her breast to a container for the man to drink.
As for the number of time the breastfeeding will be done, the Fatwa of Aisha (may Allâh be pleased with her) which Ibn Hajar said its chain is authentic in Sunan Abee Dawud says five times.
May Allâh bless our scholars the living and the dead from those who vituperate them out of ignorance.
And Allâh knows better.
Wa sallaalau ala nabiyy wa aali-hi wa sahib-hi aj'maeen.
[It was a compilation of a Taalib who could have fallen into a great error].
