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Is a boy breastfed five full times by the woman who raised him—after he has exceeded two years of age—considered her son by nursing, and is it valid to give milk at any age to establish the ruling of fosterage?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Raising foundlings carries immense reward, for it is a rescue of a soul from ruin and perdition, as corroborated by the Almighty’s saying: "And whoever saves a life - it is as though he had saved all mankind," and the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: "I and the guardian of an orphan will be in Paradise like this," and he pointed with his index and middle fingers.

Nursing a child after the age of two years is not considered to establish prohibitive suckling, according to the majority of scholars, including the four Imams.

This woman must observe hijab from the child and be cautious of being in seclusion with him when he reaches puberty, because he is a non-mahram to her.

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

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