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Ayesha and the tradition of breastfeeding the elder

Hadith No: 1

Umm Salama said to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her):

A young boy who is at the threshold of puberty comes to you. I, however, do not like that he should come to me, whereupon 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) said: Don't you see in Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) a model for you? She also said: The wife of Abu Hudhaifa said: Messenger of Allah, Salim comes to me and now he is a (grown-up) person, and there is something that (rankles) in the mind of Abu Hudhaifa about him, whereupon Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) said: Suckle him (so that he may become your foster-child), and thus he may be able to come to you (freely).


Reference: Saheeh Muslim Book 17 Tradition No. 36
Hadith No: 2

Zainab daughter of Abu Salama reported:

I heard Umm Salama, the wife of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon himy, saying to 'A'isha: By Allah, I do not like to be seen by a young boy who has passed the period of fosterage, whereupon she ('A'isha) said: Why is it so? Sahla daughter of Suhail came to Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) and said: Allah's Messenger, I swear by Allah that I see in the face of Abu Hudhaifa (the signs of disgust) on account of entering of Salim (in the house), whereupon Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) said: Suckle him. She (Sahla bint Suhail) said: He has a beard. But he (again) said: Suckle him, and it would remove what is there (expression of disgust) on the face of Abu Hudhaifa. She said: (I did that) and, by Allah, I did not see (any sign of disgust) on the face of Abu Hudhaifa.


Reference: Saheeh Muslim Book 17 Tradition No. 37
Hadith No: 3
Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Remaining Musnad of the Ansar - Hadith of Lady Aisha (may she be pleased with her)
Volume: (6) - Page Number: (38/39)
23588 - From Sufyan, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from al-Qasim, from Aisha: Suhayla bint Suhayl came and said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), I see something in the face of Abu Hudhayfa that concerns me regarding Salim's entering upon him." He said, "Breastfeed him." She replied, "How can I breastfeed him when he is a grown man?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) laughed and said, "Aren't you aware that he is a grown man?" Then she came back and said, "I did not see anything in the face of Abu Hudhayfa that I disliked."

Reference: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Book 6
Hadith No: 4
Ahmad ibn Hanbal - Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Remaining Musnad of the Ansar - Hadith of Lady Aisha (r)
Volume: (6) - Page Number: (270)
25798 - Ya'qub said: Ibn Akhi Ibn Shihab narrated to us, from his uncle, who said: Urwah ibn al-Zubair narrated to me, from Aisha, who said: Suhalah bint Suhail ibn Amr came to us, and she was married to Abu Hudhayfah ibn Utbah, a messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny). She said: "Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, enters upon us while I am in a state of [physical] separation, and we used to see him as a child. Abu Hudhayfah had adopted him just as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) adopted Zayd." Then Allah revealed: {Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah} (Surah al-Ahzab 33:5). So, at that time, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) ordered her to breastfeed Salim, and she breastfed him five times, and he was as one of her own children through nursing. With this, Aisha used to instruct her sisters and the daughters of her sisters to breastfeed anyone whom Aisha loved, to see and enter upon her, even if he was grown, five times, and then he could enter upon her. Umm Salamah and the other wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) refused to allow anyone to enter upon them with that form of breastfeeding until he was breastfed in the cradle, and they said to Aisha, "By Allah, we do not know; perhaps this was a concession from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) for Salim alone, and not for others."

Reference: Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Book 6
Hadith No: 5

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar informed him that A'isha umm al-muminin sent him away while he was being nursed to her sister Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq and said, "Suckle him ten times so that he can come in to see me."

Salim said, "Umm Kulthum nursed me three times and then fell ill, so that she only nursed me three times. I could not go in to see A'isha because Umm Kulthum did not finish for me the ten times."


Reference: Mawatta Maalik Book 30 Tradition No. 7
Hadith No: 6

It was narrated that 'Aishah said:

"Sahlah bint Suhail came to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) and said: 'I see (displeasure) in the face of Abu Hudhaifah when Salim enters upon me.' The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said: 'Breast-feed him.' She said: 'How can I breast-feed him when he is a grown man?' He said: 'Don't I know that he is a grown man?' Then she came after that and said: 'By the One Who sent you with the truth as a Prophet, I have never seen anything I dislike on the face of Abu Hudhaifah after that.'"


Reference: Al-Sunan al-Nisaai Book 26 Tradition No. 3320
Hadith No: 7

It was narrated that 'Aishah said:

“Sahlah bint Suhail came to the Prophet and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), I see signs of displeasure on the face of Abu Hudhaifah when Salim enters upon me.” The Prophet said: “Breastfeed him.” She said: “How can I breastfeed him when he is a grown man? The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) smiled and said: “I know that he is a grown man.” So she did that, then she came to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and said: “I have never seen any signs of displeasure on the face of Abu Hudhayfah after that.” And he was present at (the battle of) Badr.


Reference: Sunan Ibn Maajah Book 9 Tradition No. 1943
Hadith No: 8

It was narrated that 'Aishah said:

“The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.”


Reference: Sunan Ibn Maajah Book 9 Tradition No. 1944
Hadith No: 9

A’ishah wife of the Prophet(s) and Umm Salamah said “Abu Hudaifah bin ‘Utbah bin Rabi’ah bin ‘Abd Shams adopted Salim as his son and married him to his niece Hind, daughter of Al Walid bin ‘Utbah bin Rabi’ah. He (Salim) was the freed slave of a woman from the Ansar (the Helpers) as the Apostle of Allaah(s) adopted Zaid as his son. In pre Islamic days when anyone adopted a man as his son, the people called him by his name and he was given a share from his inheritance. Allaah, the Exalted, revealed about this matter “Call them by (the name of) their fathers, that is juster in the sight of Allah. And if ye know not their fathers, then (they are) your brethren in the faith and your clients. They were then called by their names of their fathers. A man, whose father was not known, remained under the protection of someone and considered brother in faith. Sahlah daughter of Suhail bin Amr Al Quraishi then came and said Apostle of Allah (s), we used to consider Salim(our) son. He dwelled with me and Abu Hudhaifah in the same house, and he saw me in the short clothes, but Allah the Exalted, has revealed about them what you know, then what is your opinion about him? The Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said give him your breast feed. She gave him five breast feeds. He then became like her foster son. Hence, A’ishah used to ask the daughters of her sisters and the daughters of her brethren to give him breast feed five times, whom A’ishah wanted to see and who wanted to visit her. Though he might be of age; he then visited her. But Umm Salamah and all other wives of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) refused to allow anyone to visit them on the basis of such breast feeding unless one was given breast feed during infancy. They told A’ishah by Allah we do not know whether that was a special concession granted by the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to Salim exclusive of the people.


Reference: Sunan Abi Dawood Book 12 Tradition No. 2061
Hadith No: 10
Al-Daraqutni - Sunan al-Daraqutni - Book of Breastfeeding
Volume: (5) - Page Number: (316)

Reference: Sunan Aldaaraqtani Book 5