Thread by @Farid_0v

[An Explanation of al-Albani’s Fatwa]

The opinion expressed by al-Albānī has been misunderstood by Muslims, as well as Islamophobes, which is why I felt the need to write this set of tweets. Before starting, I need to emphasize that I DON'T agree with al-Albānī on this subject,

but I do feel a need to provide the context so that he wouldn’t be misunderstood.

The origin of this topic surrounds Sālim, the servant of Abū Ḥuḏayfa, and his situation. Sālim was also the adopted son of Abū Ḥuḏayfa before the prohibition of adoption in Islam.

Sahla, his wife, was, therefore, Sālim’s mother through adoption.

However, with adoption invalidated and Sālim growing older, Abū Ḥuḏayfa felt uncomfortable about Sālim being around his wife, since they all lived together in one room, and since Sālim was no longer his “son”.

In Islam, fosterage through breastfeeding can only occur for infants up until the age of two (Q2:233). However, due to the strange circumstances of Sālim, the Prophet ﷺ made an exception for him. Sahla then breastfed Sālim and Abū Ḥuḏayfa accepted him as a foster son.

The vast majority of scholarship holds the position that this ruling was specific for the odd circumstances that Sālim found himself in. A common misconception is that ʿĀʾisha believed that this was a general ruling.

However, her actions conflict with this attribution since she did not allow Sālim bin ʿOmar (yes, another Sālim) to enter her home freely.

Refer to Muṣannaf ʿAbdul Razzāq #13928.

Unlike the majority of the scholars of the four schools, a minority of from both Salafī and Ashʿarī backgrounds, like al-Albānī and ʿAlī Jumʿa, held the view that the ruling is not specific to Sālim.

As for al-Albānī’s position on the matter, he clearly affirms that it is a sin, except in a case in which her situation makes it a “necessity”. He mentions that drinking the milk from a cup is sufficient to create a foster relationship.

Necessity plays a major role in how rulings are perceived. If there are no female gynecologists available, a male doctor will have to perform inspections on a female patient.

Furthermore, Al-Albānī also said that he didn't believe that suckling was a fitna since the wet nurse would not be uncovering her breast. It is important to remember that the milk creates a foster relationship between the two parties which prohibits them from sexual interaction.

In other words, if a couple wanted to become intimate, creating a foster relationship is the last thing they’d do.

While certain acts can be seen as sexual in one setting, circumstances determine the nature of the acts. Again, a gynecologist’s inspection is not a sexual act.

Islamophobes try to suggest that adult breastfeeding was some sort of free license to perform sexually deviant acts. However, there is only one historical case of this happening during the time of the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Ḥuḏayfa himself did not see it as a sexual act.

The same applies to the minority of scholars that believed that this act was not specific for Sālim, like al-Albānī and ʿAlī Jumʿa. They too did not regard this act as sexual.