67/21. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5101 — Sisters, Stepdaughters, and Milk Kinship
"..your foster-mothers who gave you suck."
وَيَحْرُمُ مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ مَا يَحْرُمُ مِنَ النَّسَبِ.
Hadith About Marriage Limits: Sisters, Stepdaughters, and Milk Kinship
Sahih Bukhari : 5101
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5101
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ نَافِعٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ ابْنَةَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ أَخْبَرَتْهَا أَنَّهَا، قَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ انْكِحْ أُخْتِي بِنْتَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ فَقَالَ " أَوَتُحِبِّينَ ذَلِكَ ". فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ، لَسْتُ لَكَ بِمُخْلِيَةٍ، وَأَحَبُّ مَنْ شَارَكَنِي فِي خَيْرٍ أُخْتِي. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لاَ يَحِلُّ لِي ". قُلْتُ فَإِنَّا نُحَدَّثُ أَنَّكَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَنْكِحَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ. قَالَ " بِنْتَ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ ". قُلْتُ نَعَمْ. فَقَالَ " لَوْ أَنَّهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ رَبِيبَتِي فِي حَجْرِي مَا حَلَّتْ لِي إِنَّهَا لاَبْنَةُ أَخِي مِنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ، أَرْضَعَتْنِي وَأَبَا سَلَمَةَ ثُوَيْبَةُ فَلاَ تَعْرِضْنَ عَلَىَّ بَنَاتِكُنَّ وَلاَ أَخَوَاتِكُنَّ ". قَالَ عُرْوَةُ وَثُوَيْبَةُ مَوْلاَةٌ لأَبِي لَهَبٍ كَانَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ أَعْتَقَهَا فَأَرْضَعَتِ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ أُرِيَهُ بَعْضُ أَهْلِهِ بِشَرِّ حِيبَةٍ قَالَ لَهُ مَاذَا لَقِيتَ قَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ لَمْ أَلْقَ بَعْدَكُمْ غَيْرَ أَنِّي سُقِيتُ فِي هَذِهِ بِعَتَاقَتِي ثُوَيْبَةَ.
Um Habiba Narrated from:
I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Marry my sister. the daughter of Abu Sufyan." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do you like that?" I replied, "Yes, for even now I am not your only wife and I like that my sister should share the good with me." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "But that is not lawful for me."I said, We have heard that you want to marry the daughter of Abu Salama." He said, "(You mean) the daughter of Um Salama?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Even if she were not my step-daughter, she would be unlawful for me to marry as she is my foster niece. I and Abu Salama were suckled by Thuwaiba. So you should not present to me your daughters or your sisters (in marriage)."Narrated 'Urwa: Thuwaiba was the freed slave girl of Abu Lahb whom he had manumitted, and then she suckled the Prophet. When Abu Lahb died, one of his relatives saw him in a dream in a very bad state and asked him, "What have you encountered?" Abu Lahb said, "I have not found any rest since I left you, except that I have been given water to drink in this (the space between his thumb and other fingers) and that is because of my manumitting Thuwaiba."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5101In-book reference : Book 67, Hadith 39USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 38
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5101
This hadith about marriage limits brings together several clear points from the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم answer to Umm Habiba. She asked him to marry her sister, hoping her sister could share in the good she saw. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied that this was not lawful for him. When another report was mentioned about the daughter of Umm Salama, he explained that she would not be lawful either, because she was his stepdaughter and also linked to him through suckling. The narration also mentions Thuwaiba, who suckled the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and Abu Salama. For anyone searching for hadith about marrying two sisters, stepdaughter marriage rule, or milk kinship in Islam, the main message is simple: marriage must stay within the limits named in the text.
What we learn from this hadith
- Good feelings do not make an unlawful marriage lawful.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم corrected a mistaken report with a clear explanation.
- Suckling ties and stepfamily ties are treated seriously in marriage matters.
- People should not present daughters or sisters when the stated limits apply.
