Fatwa #474343 March 2021United States of America
Can a child drink the breastmilk of a non-Muslim?
Question
Assalam alikom. When my twin sons were born, my wife didn’t produce enough breast milk to feed them both. So she fed one child, and the other child was fed by our non-Muslim neighbour. Will raza’at be established by drinking the milk of a Kaafir?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle, it is permissible to feed a child the breast milk of a non-Muslim. If a child is suckled by a non-Muslim, the woman will become the maḥram of the child, and all rules of raḍā`ah (breastfeeding) will apply.[1]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ibn Aḥsan
Student - Darul Iftaa
New York, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
[1] محمودية, ج-17, ص-502
المبسوط للسرخسي (15/ 127)
ولا بأس بأن يستأجر المسلم الظئر الكافرة
مجمع الأنهر في شرح ملتقى الأبحر (2/ 387)
صح استئجار الظئر الكافرة