Is Selling Breast Milk Permissible in Islam?
Question: In various Western countries, especially in America, it is observed that women sell their breast milk. Is this permissible from the perspective of Islam?
Answer: In Islam, the primary right to a mother’s milk belongs to her own child. However, a mother is not legally obligated to breastfeed her child. If she wishes, she can demand compensation or remuneration from her husband in exchange for breastfeeding the child. If the mother does not nurse the child, the husband can hire a wet nurse (another woman) to feed the child. Beyond this principle, mothers in our society prioritize affection and nurse their children. This brings them personal fulfillment, reflects love for the child, and constitutes a gracious favor toward the husband.
A crucial point to note here is that just as lineage establishes kinship, breastfeeding also establishes a specific type of kinship. For instance, the child who consumes a woman’s milk can never marry that woman’s husband, as she becomes a milk-daughter, just like a biological daughter. The sons of this man also cannot marry the girl, because she is their milk-sister. Furthermore, the rules of modesty and veiling (hijab) do not apply between them.
Now, the question is whether breast milk can be sold. The ruling on this matter falls into two categories:
- Permissible: Selling milk or breastfeeding a child in exchange for compensation is permissible. However, the kinship established through this act must be maintained permanently, and strict caution must be exercised regarding future marriages.
- Impermissible: Selling breast milk indiscriminately or commercializing it through milk banks is not permissible in Shariah. This is because it is impossible to know, track, or maintain whose milk is being mixed with whose, and which children are consuming it, creating a hundred percent risk of violating Shariah boundaries regarding marriage. Additionally, a major problem arises when milk mixed from multiple women, produced through various men, shapes the child with a confused psychological identity. Islam does not desire a generation afflicted with such issues. Therefore, the second category of this ruling is impermissible.
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