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Fatwa CenterAdult son may not look at mother’s breasts
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I am kind of embarrassed to ask this question, but here it is. I am an adult Muslim and my mom recently gave birth to a baby. She feeds the baby with her breastmilk, but her breasts produce a lot more milk than the baby could consume. This makes her breasts and nipples sore and painful. So she milks her breasts and removes the extra milk in order to minimize the pain. A few days ago, she called me and me told me about all this and suggested me to suck the milk from her breasts rather than letting it go to waste, and I could not say no because I have never disobeyed my mom on anything. We have been doing this since last month. I also asked her if it would be considered lewdness, but she said that it is not so because the breasts of a woman do not fall under the category of 'awrah (what should be covered of the body - only the area from the navel to the knees is) and because she is my mother and it helps her to reduce the pain. Also, we both love each other as mother and son and I have never had an erection or any sexual feelings towards her. Can we continue to do so until she stops breastfeeding the baby?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The preponderant view and the one that we hold in this regard is that it is permissible for a man to look at those body parts of his mahram (permanently unmarriageable) women that are mostly visible, such as the face and limbs. However, it is impermissible for him to look at her breasts, let alone touch them. This is the view adopted by the Maalikis and Hanbalis.
Ibn Qudaamah 
wrote, “It is permissible for the Muslim man to look at those body parts of mahram female relatives that are mostly visible, such as the neck, head, hands, feet, and the like. He is not allowed to look at the body parts that are ordinarily covered, such as the breasts, the back, and the like.”
For more benefit, please refer to fataawa 90591 and 85449.
Hence, you come to know that sucking milk from your mother's breasts is not allowed and that the absence of sexual feelings does not change the matter. Moreover, it is well-known that there are devices, known as breast pumps (manual or electric), that can be used to remove extra milk when needed.
Allaah knows best.
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