Foster Relationships (Ahadith 2310 – 2313)

Bismillah.

Ahadith 2308 – 2309 (below) are repeats. Read them here.

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 810 :
Narrated by Anas (radiallaahu `anhu)
A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “It has been affirmed (Paradise).” Then another funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “It has been affirmed (Hell).” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was asked, “O Allah’s Apostle! You said it has been affirmed for both?” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The testimony of the people (is accepted), (for) the believer are Allah’s witnesses on the earth.”

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 811 :
Narrated by Abu Al-Aswad
Once I went to Medina where there was an outbreak of disease and the people were dying rapidly. I was sitting with ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) and a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “It has been affirmed” (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “It has been affirmed.” (Paradise). Then another funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “It has been affirmed (Paradise).” Then a third funeral procession passed by and the people talked badly of the deceased. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “It has been affirmed (Hell).” I asked Umar (radiallaahu `anhu), “O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed?” He said, “I have said what the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said. He said, ‘Allah will admit into paradise any Muslim whose good character is attested by four persons.’ We asked the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), ‘If there were three witnesses only?’ He said, ‘Even three.’ We asked, ‘If there were two only?’ He said, ‘Even two.’ But we did not ask him about one witness.”

Today’s Ahadith:

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 812 :
Narrated by Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa)
Aflah asked the permission to visit me but I did not allow him. He said, “Do you veil yourself before me although I am your uncle?” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said, “How is that?” Aflah replied, “You were suckled by my brother’s wife with my brother’s milk.” I asked Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) about it, and he said, “Aflah is right, so permit him to visit you.”

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 813 :
Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said about Hamza’s daughter, “I am not legally permitted to marry her, as foster relations are treated like blood relations (in marital affairs). She is the daughter of my foster brother.”

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 814 :
Narrated by Amra bint ‘Abdur-Rahman
That ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) the wife of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) told her uncle that once, while the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was in her house, she heard a man asking Hafsa’s (radiallaahu `anhaa) permission to enter her house. ‘Aisha said, “I said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)! I think the man is Hafsa’s foster uncle.’ ” ‘Aisha added, “O Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)! There is a man asking the permission to enter your house.” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) replied, “I think the man is Hafsa’s foster uncle.” ‘Aisha said, “If so-and-so were living (i.e. her foster uncle) would he be allowed to visit me?” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Yes, he would, as the foster relations are treated like blood relations (in marital affairs).”

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 815 :
Narrated by Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa)
Once the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) came to me while a man was in my house. He said, “O ‘Aisha! Who is this (man)?” I replied, “My foster brothers” He said, “O ‘Aisha! Be sure about your foster brothers, as foster-ship is only valid if it takes place in the suckling period (before two years of age).”

There are two conditions for breastfeeding and foster relationship to be valid:

1. It should be five or more breastfeedings, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: “Among the things that were revealed of the Qur’aan was that ten definite breastfeedings make a person a mahram, then that was abrogated and replaced with five definite breastfeedings,” Narrated by Muslim, no. 1452.

2. That should be within the first two years of the child’s life, because of what is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr, that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no breastfeeding except that which fills the stomach.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (1946); see also Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 7495. al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Saheeh: “Chapter: One who says: There is no breastfeeding after two years because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of suckling’ [al-Baqarah 2:233]”.

Breastfeeding means that the infant takes the nipple and suckles from it, then lets it go by himself, in order to breathe or move and the like. Based on that, the five breastfeedings may take place in one sitting.

The shar’i rulings concerning relationships through breastfeeding are not the same as the rulings concerning relationships through blood ties. Breastfeeding (radaa’ah) does not mean that one is obliged to spend on those relatives, or that one is entitled to inherit from them, or that one may be a guardian for the purpose of marriage – unlike the case with ties of blood.

What they have in common is that people related in either way are forbidden to marry, and may look at one another and be alone with one another, and are regarded as mahrams for the purpose of travel. Read more on this here.

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How to Judge Someone’s Character (Hadith No. 2307)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 2306 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 808 :
Narrated by Abdullah bin Abu Mulaika from ‘Uqba bin Al-Harith (radiallaahu `anhu)
Uqba married the daughter of Abu Ihab bin Aziz, and then a woman came and said, “I suckled ‘Uqba and his wife.” ‘Uqba said to her, “I do not know that you have suckled me, and you did not inform me.” He then sent someone to the house of Abu Ihab to enquire about that but they did not know that she had suckled their daughter. Then ‘Uqba went to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) in Medina and asked him about it. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said to him, “How (can you keep your wife) after it has been said (that both of you were suckled by the same woman)?” So, he divorced her and she was married to another (husband).

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 809 :
Narrated by ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (radiallaahu `anhu)
People were (sometimes) judged by the revealing of a Divine Inspiration during the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) but now there is no longer any more (new revelation). Now we judge you by the deeds you practice publicly, so we will trust and favor the one who does good deeds in front of us, and we will not call him to account about what he is really doing in secret, for Allah will judge him for that; but we will not trust or believe the one who presents to us with an evil deed even if he claims that his intentions were good.

It’s plain simple really. Whatever you show people is how they identify you and judge you because they’re witnesses to your deeds. Whatever you hide is between you and Allah.

The other angle: judge people based on what you’ve “witnessed” of their actions. Don’t believe hearsay, it’s not fair to them. :)