Islamic concept of breastfeeding (II)

In the of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

THE Holy Qur’an, in Al-Imran, 3:2-3, says: “Allah! There is no god but He the Living, the Self-Subsisting Eternal. It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step) in truth the Book confirming what went before it; and He sent down Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this as a guide to mankind and He sent down the Criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”

Science is just confirming the Islamic form of family planning, which is natural and devoid of the use of contraceptives, as well as child spacing through two years of breastfeeding after more than 1,500 years. According to UNICEF, frequent suckling of baby from childbirth maintains high level of progesterone in the mother’s body which inhibits ovulation and therefore pregnancy. It adds that exclusive breastfeeding offers 98 percent protection against pregnancy during the first six months after birth. And in many parts of the world, breastfeeding prevents more unplanned pregnancies than all other methods combined.

As researches will continue to trail the verdict of Islam on various issues since it is a way of life that covers all aspects of human endeavour, science has confirmed the Holy Qur’an saves the lives of mothers and children. It reveals that when suckling stores within the first hour, the placenta is expected faster and the risk of after-birth bleeding is reduced which can kill the mother. Breastfeeding also substantially reduces the mother’s risk of breast cancer and protects against ovarian cancer. And it helps both intervals of about three years as Islam recommends between births. The Holy Qur’an, in Surat al-Aĥqaf, 46:15, says: “We have enjoined on man Kindness to his parents. In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says ‘O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam.’”

Meanwhile, fosterage or milk-relationship counts like blood relationships. It actually differentiates among those we may marry or not. The Holy Qur’an, in An-Nisa, 4:23, declares: “Prohibited to you (for marriage) are: your mother, daughters, sisters, father’s sisters, mother’s sisters, brother’s daughters, sister’s daughters, foster mothers (who gave you suck) foster sisters. your wives’ mothers; your step-daughters under your guardianship born of your wives to whom ye have gone in no prohibition if ye have not gone in, (those who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your loins, and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time except for what is past, for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Just as we cannot marry our foster mothers, those who gave us suck aside from our actual mother, we cannot marry foster sisters i.e., those we suck from the same foster mother, as well as foster mother’s sister. The Holy Prophet Muhammed (SAW) was quoted in Al-Bukhari as narrated by Aisha as saying that foster relations make all those things unlawful which are unlawful through corresponding birth (blood) relations.

Islam therefore forbids the practice in Europe, America and some other countries where human milk banks are established in hospitals from which all the needy born babies are fed with this human milk, thereby making them foster brothers and sisters without knowing. It is hoped that the UNICEF campaign on breastfeeding, which is consuming millions of dollars annually, will include this aspect for the abrogation of human milk banks in hospitals to check unlawful marriages. At least children from unknown marriages are regarded as bastards in Islam and even in other religions and culture.

In Islam, fathers play an important role in breastfeeding. Many of the responsibilities of fathers are mentioned in the Qur’an. Key responsibilities of a father include the following: 1. The father provides moral support and encouragement. 2. The father must provide the means to feed and clothe the nursing mother. 3. The father must find an alternative milk source and pay the compensation in kindness if the baby’s mother does not breastfeed. 4. If the father dies during the nursing period, the maintenance cost of the baby should be borne by his heirs (usually the baby’s paternal grandfather). 5. Discussing and deciding weaning together with the mother is not a sin. The fact that the father has to be the main person responsible for the finances is so important in Islam that even if a couple gets divorced, the father has to continue to pay for the mother’s and child’s expenses until the baby is weaned (within two years).

Meanwhile, mothers may be advised to take black seed (Nigella sativa) which is commonly known as “the blessed seed”. This is a very important herb in the Muslim community, as it is believed to have healing properties for most illnesses. Many Muslims take it to achieve a healthier lifestyle (although it should not be taken during pregnancy). Black seed oil can act as herbal galactagogues. In the Egyptian culture, mothers are given “mughaat,” which is a special mix of powdered fenugreek seeds with nuts fried in butter and sugar, to increase the mother’s milk. Mothers are also encouraged to have a lot of broth and soup post-labour. In some African cultures, certain herbs are rubbed on the breast to increase milk, and in some regions, mothers are given special diets for 40 days.

Another food that Muslim mothers may be encouraged to eat during labour and post-partum are dates. This is because in a Quranic verse, Mary was told to eat dates at the time of giving birth to Jesus. Qur’an 19:22-27 relates: “So she (Mary) conceived him (Isa – Jesus), and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She cried (in her anguish): ‘Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!’ But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm tree): ‘Grieve not! For thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So, eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.’ At length, she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: ‘O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!’”

Dates have high sugar content for that burst of energy that is needed after an exhausting labour. Dates contain many vitamins and minerals including iron and are high in fiber. They also contain substances that have similar properties to oxytocin, which is essential for the let-down reflex to occur.

Interestingly, Islam advises mothers to give suck to babies with both breasts for full benefits. Allah (SWT) has placed food and water for the child in the body of the mother and has created an amazing system of feeding the newborn child in a manner which is perfect and most beneficial. It is narrated from Jafar Al-Sadiq that Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said that, “Oh mother of Ishaq, don’t feed the child from just one breast, but fed from both, as one is the substitute for food, and the other is a substitute for water.” (Al-Kafī, vol. 6, pg. 40, no. 2).  Also, it is narrated by the Prophet (peace be upon him): “For a child, there is no milk better than the milk of the mother.” (Mustadrak al-Wasail, vol. 15, pg. 156). In another tradition, it is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Allah (SWT) has placed the sustenance (rizq) of the child in the two breasts of the mother. In one is his water, and in the other his food.” (Wasailash-Shī~a, vol. 21, pg. 453).

May Allah grant us the will, the desire and understanding to accept the truth as enunciated by Islam and the religion of peace and, of course, the first and last religion for mankind (Ameen).