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The question

What is the summary of the explanation of the hadiths mentioned in Sahih Muslim under the chapter "The Suckling of an Adult"?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

It is established in Muslim that Sahlah bint Suhayl came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I see displeasure on Abu Hudhayfah's face because of Salim's presence." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Suckle him." She said, "But he is a bearded man." He said, "Suckle him, and the displeasure on Abu Hudhayfah's face will go away." And the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) refused to allow anyone to enter upon them through such suckling, and they said to 'A'ishah, "By Allah, we do not consider this except a special dispensation granted by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to Salim alone. No one will enter upon us through such suckling, nor will we allow it."

Scholars differed on this issue. 'A'ishah and Dawud affirmed that suckling of an adult establishes mahramiyyah (prohibition of marriage), while the rest of the scholars said that it is only established by suckling a child under two years of age. They cited Allah's saying: "And mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years, for those who wish to complete the suckling" (2:233) and the : "Suckling is only that which fills the stomach." They interpreted the hadith of Sahlah as specific to her and Salim.

It became evident that the suckling of an adult does not establish a legal prohibition according to the majority of scholars, and that it was a special dispensation for Salim to remove hardship.

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Original fatwa ID
47884
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