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Imam al-Nawawi, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim (5/274), stated:
“The ummah (Muslim community) has unanimously agreed on the established prohibition of breastfeeding (radāʿah) between the infant and the breastfeeding mother, such that the child becomes like her own and is eternally forbidden from marrying her. He is also permitted to look at her, be in seclusion with her, and travel with her.”
“However, this relationship does not entail the full legal implications of natural motherhood. For instance, they do not inherit from one another, neither is obligated to financially support the other, emancipation does not occur between them due to manumission, his testimony for her is not dismissed (based on bias), he does not bear financial responsibility (blood money) on her behalf, and retribution (qiṣāṣ) is not waived for her if she kills him. Thus, they remain like unrelated individuals in these rulings.” End of quote.
This distinction emphasizes that while radāʿah establishes certain prohibitions and permissions (e.g., prohibiting marriage, allowing seclusion), it does not make the breastfeeding mother and child equivalent to biological relations in other aspects of Islamic law, such as inheritance, financial obligations, or rights tied to manumission.
