Ruling 2493

It is clear from the previous ruling that the amount of milk that causes someone to become maḥram is based on three possible criteria:

1. [based on the amount that is suckled if] it is to the extent that it can commonly be said to have caused the flesh to grow and the bones to become firm. The condition here is that [the flesh growing and bones becoming firm] is based on the milk, not on food that is fed with the milk. However, a small amount of food that does not have an effect is no problem. If the child breastfeeds from two women and [a particular] amount of the growth of flesh or firming of bones is based on the milk of one of them and [a particular] amount based on [the milk of] the other, then both of them will be the child’s nursing mothers. But if the growth of flesh or firming of bones [in general] is based on the milk of both of them together, then it does not result in the child becoming maḥram;
2. based on time. The condition here is that the child does not breastfeed from another woman or eat any food during the one day and night period. However, there is no problem if the child drinks water, takes some medicine, or eats some food to the extent that he cannot be said to have ‘eaten food within [the one day and night period]’. Furthermore, the child must have regularly drank milk during the day and night when he needed or wanted to and was not delayed in doing so. In fact, based on obligatory precaution, the start of the day and night period must be counted from the time the child was hungry, and the end of the period must be considered the time he became full;

3. based on number. The condition here is that the child must suckle the milk of one woman fifteen times, and between those times he must not suckle from another woman. However, there is no problem if he eats some food or an interval occurs in between those fifteen times. Furthermore, each time the child breastfeeds, he must do so fully, meaning that he must go from being hungry to becoming completely full without an interval. However, there is no problem if while the child suckles he takes new breaths or stops a little such that from the time he puts the nipple in his mouth to the time when he becomes full, it can be counted as one go.