A lady from Yemen wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, stating that a girl married her paternal cousin, i.e., her father’s sister’s son, and they have a child together. The husband had been breastfed by his maternal great-aunt. Scholars opine that they should divorce because her husband is her milk-related paternal uncle. She sought guidance on this matter. Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 7 August 2022, gave the following guidance:
“Based on the situation you described, the boy’s maternal grandmother is the girl’s paternal grandmother. The woman by whom the boy was breastfed, meaning his mother’s maternal aunt, is actually the sister of the boy’s maternal grandmother and the sister of the girl’s paternal grandmother. Thus, there is no prohibition between the couple stemming from one of them being breastfed, i.e., their marriage is valid, as the boy’s milk relationship is not with his maternal grandmother or the girl’s paternal grandmother’s children but with the offspring of the sister of the boy’s maternal grandmother and the sister of the girl’s paternal grandmother.
“Yes, if the boy had been breastfed by his maternal grandmother, then, since the boy’s maternal grandmother is also the girl’s paternal grandmother, this boy would have been the milk-related paternal uncle of the girl, which would have created a prohibition for their marriage. However, in the situation you have described, there is no such prohibition between the couple stemming from one of them being breastfed.”
