Is it permissible to breastfeed an adult who is not a mahram, and how is that done given the prohibition of looking and touching? What is the meaning of the hadith about Salim's breastfeeding as an adult, and was it a special case for him? What is the authenticity of the statement by some scholars that the breastfeeding was from a vessel?

The suckling that establishes a prohibitive relationship (mahramiyya) is not limited to suckling milk directly from the breast; it also occurs if the child drinks milk from a vessel. This is the view of the majority of scholars.

The prohibitive relationship through suckling is established if it occurs within the first two years (hawlain) or before weaning. It is not established by the suckling of an adult. This is the opinion of the majority of jurists.

As for the hadith about suckling Salim, the mawla of Abu Hudhayfah, when he was an adult, it was used by those who believe that the suckling of an adult has an effect. However, the majority of scholars and the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) hold that it was specific to Salim or that it was abrogated.

Some scholars, like Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim, reconciled the two views by stating that the suckling of an adult does not have an effect except in cases of necessity, such as someone whose entry to a woman cannot be avoided and for whom her veiling from him would be difficult, similar to Salim's situation.

Some contemporary scholars, such as Sheikh Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee for Issuing Fatwas, have held that the suckling of an adult does not establish a prohibitive relationship and that the hadith of Salim is specific to him. Whereas Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen was of the view that the hadith of Salim is not specific to him, but applies to a situation similar to Salim's, which is not possible now after the prohibition of adoption.