Is it permissible to marry a paternal cousin if her mother breastfed the suitor when he was young, and the mother does not remember the number of breastfeedings?
The suckling that establishes prohibition has two conditions: The first is that it consists of five or more sucklings, based on the hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her. The second is that it occurs within the first two years of the child's life, based on the hadith "There is no suckling except that which opens the intestines," and based on Allah's saying: (full two years for whoever desires to complete the suckling). A suckling is defined as the child taking hold of the breast and suckling milk from it, then releasing it spontaneously. If suckling is established, its rulings, such as the prohibition of marriage, are established. If there is doubt about the existence of suckling or the number of prohibitory sucklings, the prohibition is not established because the default is its absence. Based on this, marriage is permissible if prohibitory suckling is not established.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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