Is it permissible for an unmarried woman in Saudi Arabia to sponsor an orphan or a foundling from an orphanage, such that her mother breastfeeds the child, even though she has brothers and other mahrams?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the father permits fostering an orphan or a foundling in his home, there is no objection. If the mother breastfeeds him five times while he is under two years old, he becomes her son through suckling and a brother to the questioner and his siblings. The woman must seek her husband's permission if she wishes to breastfeed a child who is not his son.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/172820
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 172820
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy