Question
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
I have a genetic condition that has a 50% transmission rate in babies. So I wanted to ask that if I breastfeed (induced lactation) an adopted baby, will my husband become a mahram to the baby? Or is it only through breastfeeding after pregnancy that he becomes the mahram?
Answer
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well and that you are rewarded abundantly for the difficulty of your test and for considering adoption.
A lady becomes the ‘mother’ of any child below the age of two years whom she breastfeeds. This, practically, makes her just like the biological mother of the child in regards to the rulings of the Shari’a. The ruling is the same whether her body produces milk after pregnancy or if the milk comes from induced lactation.
Her husband, however, will only become the mahram if he caused the pregnancy from which the breastmilk was produced. He does not become a mahram of the child in the case of induced lactation. (Maydani, al Lubab)
Sometimes, there are other options that can be explored in this situation, such as getting one of the husband’s sisters to breastfeed the child. This is only a concern if the child is a female in this situation.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani