“The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of suckling” [al-Baqarah 2:233] So Allaah has stated the child’s right to be breastfed. Fourteen hundred years after this verse was revealed, international organizations such as the World Health Organization have issued statement after statement calling on mothers to breastfeed their children, whereas Islam enjoined that fourteen centuries ago. The benefits of breastfeeding for the child include the following: 1 – The mother’s milk is sterile, containing no germs. 2 – The mother’s milk cannot be imitated by any milk prepared from the milk of cows, goats or camels. It is composed in such a way as to meet the child’s needs day after day, from birth until weaning. 3 – The mother’s milk contains sufficient amounts of protein and sugar that suit the infant completely, whereas the proteins in cow’s, goat’s and buffalo’s milk are difficult for the child’s stomach to digest, because they are suited to the offspring of those animals. 4 – The development of children who are breastfed is faster and more complete than that of children who are bottle-fed. 5 – The psychological and emotional bond between the mother and her child. 6 – The mother’s milk contains various elements that are essential to the child’s nourishment, in the right amounts and formats needed by his body, and in a form that is suited to his ability to digest and absorb. The nourishing content of the milk is not fixed; it changes day by day according to the child’s needs. 7 – The mother’s milk is kept at a suitable temperature that meets the child’s needs, and can be given to him at any time. 8 – Breastfeeding is a natural means of contraception for the mother, and is free of the complications that may accompany use of birth control pills, the coil (IUD) or injections. FromTawdeeh al-Ahkaam, 5/107.islamqa.info/en/20759
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 09:08:00 +0000