Hadith 35083

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that he was askedabout the suckling of an older person. He said, ''Urwa ibn az-Zubayrinformed me that Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba ibn Rabia, one of thecompanions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, who was present at Badr, adopted Salim (who is calledSalim, the mawla of Abu Hudhayfa) as the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, adopted Zayd ibn Haritha. He thought ofhim as his son, and Abu Hudhayfa married him to his brother's sister,Fatima bint al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Rabia, who was at that time amongthe first emigrants. She was one of the best unmarried women of theQuraysh. When Allah the Exalted sent down in His Book what He sentdown about Zayd ibn Haritha, 'Call them after their true fathers. Thatis more equitable in the sight of Allah. If you do not know who theirfathers were then they are your brothers in the deen and your mawali,'(Sura 33 ayat 5) people in this position were traced back to theirfathers. When the father was not known, they were traced to theirmawla."Sahla bint Suhayl who was the wife of Abu Hudhayfa,and one of the tribe of Amr ibn Luayy, came to the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger ofAllah! We think of Salim as a son and he comes in to see me while I amuncovered. We only have one room, so what do you think about thesituation?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, 'Give him five drinks of your milk and he will be mahramby it.' She then saw him as a foster son. A'isha umm al-muminin tookthat as a precedent for whatever men she wanted to be able to come tosee her. She ordered her sister, Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiqand the daughters of her brother to give milk to whichever men shewanted to be able to come in to see her. The rest of the wives of theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, refused to letanyone come in to them by such nursing. They said, 'No! By Allah! Wethink that what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, ordered Sahla bint Suhayl to do was only an indulgenceconcerning the nursing of Salim alone. No! By Allah! No one will comein upon us by such nursing!'"This is what the wives of theProphet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, thought about thesuckling of an older person."