Question:<\/p>\n
My question involves child upbringing. i just had my second son about a week ago and my dad and husband have been preasuring me to breastfeed my son but i breastfed my 2 year old and i had a very difficult time and i do not want to do it again . the main reason is because i want to loose weight as soon as possible and if i breastfeed i will not be able to diet like i want to but everyone is trying to make me feel guilty saying its the babies right and im depriving him of it .i want to have a healthy child but my main focuss is on loosing weight will i fall into sin i choose not to breastfeed<\/p>\n
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Answer<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Allah\u2019s Messengers too were breast-fed. Allah inspired Musa\u2019s mother to put her baby Musa in a basket in the river to save him from Pharaoh\u2019s killing decree, Pharaoh\u2019s family found him and wanted to keep him and looked everywhere for a wet-nurse to breastfeed him and Allah caused Musa to refuse to be breast-fed by any woman except his own mother.<\/span><\/p>\n The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu \u2018alayhi wassallam) in his childhood, suckled from his mother Aminah, Thuwaybah \u2013 a slave girl of his uncle Abu Lahab, Umm Ayman and Halimah as-Sa\u2019diyyah.<\/span><\/p>\n The Prophet\u2019s (Sallallahu \u2018alayhi wassallam) children too were breastfed. His son Ibrahim had a wet-nurse as occurs in a hadeeth and when his son passed away he was only 1 year and 10 months old so there were two months of suckling left for him so the Prophet (Sallallaahu \u2018alayhi wassallam) said as narrated by Al-Bara (bin Azib):<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0The Prophet, after the death of his son Ibrahim, said, \u201cThere is a wet-nurse for him (i.e. Ibrahim) in Paradise.\u201d<\/em><\/i><\/strong>[Recorded by Ibn Hibban, Abu Dawud and others from \u2018Abdullah bin Ja\u2019far (Radhiyallaahu \u2018anhu)]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0It is only in modern times that the wide use of artificial forms of baby-feeding, cow\u2019s and goat\u2019s milk formulas, have been used and that women have left their homes in pursuit of careers which make them leave the superior role that Allah Ta\u2019ala has given them and pulled them away from the home to serve others and leave their own families.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Allah Ta\u2019ala tells us the recommended time of suckling a child in the Qur\u2019an:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cAnd the mothers are to suckle their infants for two years, for those who wish to complete the suckling\u201d <\/strong>(Surah Baqarah 2:233)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe have enjoined upon the human being to treat his parents kindly. His mother bore him with weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years.\u201d <\/strong>(Surah Luqman 31:14)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Look at the importance of breastfeeding! Allah Ta\u2019ala even mentions it in the Qur\u2019an a number of times! Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged now as being the best food for babies. It provides everything your baby needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Fourteen hundred years after this verse was revealed, international organizations such as the World Health Organization have issued statement after statement calling on mothers to breastfeed their children, whereas Islam enjoined that fourteen centuries ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The benefits of breastfeeding for the child include the following:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 1 \u2013 The mother\u2019s milk is sterile, containing no germs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2 \u2013 The mother\u2019s milk cannot be imitated by any milk prepared from the milk of cows, goats or camels. It is composed in such a way as to meet the child\u2019s needs day after day, from birth until weaning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 3 \u2013 The mother\u2019s milk contains sufficient amounts of protein and sugar that suit the infant completely, whereas the proteins in cow\u2019s, goat\u2019s and buffalo\u2019s milk are difficult for the child\u2019s stomach to digest, because they are suited to the offspring of those animals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4 \u2013 The development of children who are breastfed is faster and more complete than that of children who are bottle-fed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 5 \u2013 The psychological and emotional bond between the mother and her child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 6 \u2013 The mother\u2019s milk contains various elements that are essential to the child\u2019s nourishment, in the right amounts and formats needed by his body, and in a form that is suited to his ability to digest and absorb.\u00a0 The nourishing content of the milk is not fixed; it changes day by day according to the child\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 7 \u2013 The mother\u2019s milk is kept at a suitable temperature that meets the child\u2019s needs, and can be given to him at any time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 8 \u2013 Breastfeeding is a natural means of contraception for the mother, and is free of the complications that may accompany use of birth control pills, the coil (IUD) or injections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The child feels ultimate comfort and security through being so close to his mother and their special bond is strengthened, so much so that in Islam if a non-related woman breastfeeds a child she becomes a foster mother to him and her children are foster sisters and brothers to him who he cannot marry! As the Prophet (sallallahu \u2018alayhi wassallam) said as is related in a number of Ahadeeth:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201dIndeed, Allah has prohibited (marriage) among suckling relatives, as He has prohibited it among birth (or blood) relatives\u201d<\/em><\/i><\/strong>[Recorded by Sahih Al-Bukhari, Muslim]<\/span><\/p>\n What more proof do we need of the bond that is created through breast-feeding? However, it is better if no one breastfeeds the child but his mother; because that is more beneficial, and that may be obligatory for her if the child will not accept the breast of anyone else or any other milk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Islam, unless there is a legitimate excuse, the mother is required to breastfeed her baby.<\/strong> It is an obligation upon both parents \u2013 the mother provides the milk and the father provides the material support for the mother even if they are divorced. If a parent thinks there is a need to wean the baby before the end of two years it is permissible after consultation and joint agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n In your situation the main reason given for not breastfeeding your child is to keep up with your fitness and to follow up a diet. That is not good enough to forego the right of the baby in breastfeeding him.<\/span><\/p>\n And Allah Ta\u2019ala Knows Best Ml. <\/span>Mohammad Ashhad bin Said<\/strong> Correspondence Iftaa Student, Mauritius<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Checked and Approved by:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Mufti Ebrahim Desai\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In\u2019aamiyyah<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: My question involves child upbringing. i just had my second son about a week ago and my dad and husband have been preasuring me…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[89,56,60,62,76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daughter","category-mother","category-nikah-talaq-etc","category-pious-women","category-wife","wpcat-89-id","wpcat-56-id","wpcat-60-id","wpcat-62-id","wpcat-76-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3742\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiqhulislam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt is permissible with the parent\u2019s joint agreement to have a child breastfed by another woman and that wet-nurse is entitled to a wage.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/strong>Wassalamu Alaykum<\/span><\/strong>
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