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Is it forbidden to breastfeed a child for more than two years, and what is the evidence for this prohibition from the the Qur’an and Sunnah? And is Allah’s saying, "And his weaning is in two years," a command or a statement of fact?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is permissible to breastfeed a child for more than two years. The verse, "His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years," ( حملته أمه وهنا على وهن وفصاله في عامين ) is for guidance, not obligation, because the child's greatest need for breastfeeding is before the two-year mark. Jurists have differed on whether breastfeeding beyond two years is considered a basis for prohibition (in marriage), just as breastfeeding within the two years is, but they have not differed on the permissibility of a woman breastfeeding her child after two years.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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