Breast Feeding in Islam and its Benefits

Please do give your child the BEST start in life by
breastfeeding him/her in shaa Allah!
Medical benefits of breastfeeding:
Breastfeeding brings great benefits. Allaah has
enjoined breastfeeding in His Book, when He said
(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]
So Allaah has stated the child’s right to be
breastfed.
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.
The benefits of breastfeeding for the child include
the following:
1 – The mother’s milk is sterile, containing no
germs.
2 – The mother’s 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’s needs day after day, from birth until
weaning.
3 – The mother’s milk contains sufficient amounts
of protein and sugar that suit the infant completely,
whereas the proteins in cow’s, goat’s and buffalo’s
milk are difficult for the child’s stomach to digest,
because they are suited to the offspring of those
animals.
4 – The development of children who are breastfed
is faster and more complete than that of children
who are bottle-fed.
5 – The psychological and emotional bond between
the mother and her child.
6 – The mother’s milk contains various elements
that are essential to the child’s 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. The nourishing content of the milk is
not fixed; it changes day by day according to the
child’s needs.
7 – The mother’s milk is kept at a suitable
temperature that meets the child’s needs, and can
be given to him at any time.
8 – 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.
From Tawdeeh al-Ahkaam, 5/107.
Question :
Assalamualaykom I had a question about : it is
mandatory to do ablution before feeding the child ?
Answer :
All perfect praise be to ALLAH , The Lord of the
Worlds . I testify that there is none worthy of
worship except ALLAH,and that Muhammad is His
slave and Messenger.
Wudhoo'(ablution ) is only required for Salaah
[ prayer ], Tawaaf [circumambulation around the
Ka'bah ], touching the Mus-haf [copy of the
Quran ],or other reason requiring Tahaarah [ritual
purity ]. It is also possible that a person performs
Wudhoo for no reason but to remain upon
Tahaarah .
It is not obligatory that a woman perform Wudhoo
in order to nurse her child . Rather,she should not
do this because there is no Sharee'ah based
evidence regarding it .
Note :
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may ALLAH preserve
him )said :
Acts of worship are tawqeefi (I.e., acts of worship
are to be based solely on Quran and Saheeh
Sunnah ,with no room for personal opinion ); it is
not permissible to do any act of worship in terms
of time or place or type of worship except on the
basis of tawqeef and instructions from the Law
giver .
As for the one who introduces something that was
not enjoined by the Lawgiver of acts of worship or
in terms of their place ,time or description , then it
is an innovation (bid ah ).
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Fawzaan, 16/13
And ALLAH ,may He be Exalted ,Knows Best.
Indeed, Holy Quran = Book and Word of ALLAH
(Subhana Wa Ta'la ) which gives us not only
Guidance but also a Beneficial knowledge of this
world as well as Hereafter . Truly ,if we read Quran
with understanding and implement ALLAH
(Subhana Wa Ta'la ) orders In Shaa ALLAH we will
be successful in both worlds .
Ameen .
(Jazak Allah Khair to Sister Ukht Sauda for
introducing this Article,)