Breastfeeding & Purity: Must You Wash After Every Spit-Up? (Shafi’i Fiqh)

For students or scholars of fiqh, the book Fathul Mu’in by Sheikh Zainuddin Al-Malibari is a very familiar reference. However, the concise text (ijaz) or succinctness often requires us to be careful in understanding it, especially when it comes to everyday issues such as caring for babies.

One of the most frequently searched topics by young mothers is the A Complete Guide to Fiqh of Purification (Thaharah) for Breastfeeding Mothers regarding the purity status of breasts when nursing babies prone to spitting up or vomit. Is washing mandatory every time, or is there a concession (rukhsah)?

Let us examine the original text from the book Fathul Mu’in along with its explanation from the book I’anah at-Talibin to answer this concern in a scholarly manner yet practically.

Original Text and Translation of Fathul Mu’in

In the chapter on impurity, Sheikh Zainuddin Al-Malibari quotes an important fatwa. The following is the original wording (ibarot) from the book:

وأفتى شيخنا أن الصبي إذا ابتلي بتتابع القئ عفي عن ثدي أمه الداخل في فيه، لا عن مقبله أو مماسه

Translation:

And our teacher (Ibn Hajar al-Haytami) ruled: If a baby is afflicted with frequent vomiting, then the impurity of the mother’s nipple that enters the baby’s mouth is forgiven, but the impurity of the part that is kissed or touched by the baby is not forgiven.

Explanation (Syarah) of Ibn Hajar’s Fatwa

Let’s break down the important points from the text above one by one so there are no misunderstandings.

1. Who is “Syaikhuna”?

The word “Syaikhuna” (our teacher) in Fathul Mu’in refers to Sheikh Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, a great scholar of the Shafi’i school of thought whose fatwas are the main reference (mu’tamad) for Muslims in Indonesia and other parts of the archipelago.

2. The condition of “Tatabu’ al-Qay’i” (Frequent Vomiting)

Pay attention to the sentence إذا ابتلي بتتابع القئ (idza ubtuliya bitatābu’il qay’i).

The words ubtuliya (tested) and tatabu’ (successively) indicate that this leniency applies to recurring conditions. If the baby only vomits once in its lifetime or very rarely, then the original ruling remains that it is impure and must be washed.

However, in reality, almost all babies experience repeated spitting up. This condition is called masyaqqah (difficulty). If mothers are forced to wash their nipples every 15 minutes because their babies spit up a little, this is certainly very troublesome. This is where Islamic law provides convenience.

3. Limits of the Forgiven Area (Ma’fu)

This point is crucial. The fatwa limits the areas that are forgiven to only:

“Tsadyi ummihi ad-dakhili fi fihi” (His mother’s nipple entered his mouth).

Why only this part? Because this is the emergency area (necessity) that cannot be avoided during the breastfeeding process.

4. Strict Warning: Does Not Apply to Kissing and Touching

Ibn Hajar made a clear exception with the phrase: “La ‘an muqabbilihi aw mumassihi”.

Here, we must carefully understand the Arabic text so as not to misunderstand it. The words Muqabbil and Mumass are Isim Fa’il (Active Participles or Subjects).

• Muqabbil (The Kisser): This means that the law of “forgiveness” does NOT apply to people who kiss babies. Parents often naturally desire to kiss their child’s mouth.. If you (as the kisser/muqabbil) kiss the mouth of a baby that still has traces of vomit/spit-up, then your lips become impure and must be washed. Kissing a baby is not an emergency situation like breastfeeding, so it does not receive legal leniency.
• Mumass (The Toucher): This means that this rule also does NOT apply to the person who touches. If your hand (as the toucher/mumass) deliberately touches the remnants of vomit in the baby’s mouth (for example, when cleaning without water), then your hand is unclean and must be purified.

In conclusion: Only the interaction of “nipples meeting the baby’s mouth” is forgiven. Other interactions such as “mother’s lips meeting the baby’s mouth” (kissing) or “hands meeting impurities” (touching) still return to the original law: impure and must be purified.

In-depth study of the book I’anah at-Talibin

To understand this more deeply, we need to look at the commentary (explanatory notes) from the book Fathul Mu’in, namely I’anah at-Talibin, written by Sayyid Bakri Syatha.

In Juz 1, page 102, he quotes the original source of the fatwa:

وسئل رضي الله عنه: هل يعفى عما يصيب ثدي المرضعة من ريق الرضيع المتنجس بقئ أو ابتلاع نجاسة أم لا؟ فأجاب رضي الله عنه: ويعفى عن فم الصغير وإن تحققت نجاسته.

Meaning:

He (Ibn Hajar) was asked: “Is it permissible to consider the breast of a nursing mother to be impure if it has been contaminated by the saliva of a baby who has vomited or swallowed something impure?” He replied: “And it is permissible (to consider the mouth of a small child to be impure even if it has been confirmed to be impure).”

Expansion of Meaning: The Mouth of a Small Child

From this explanation by I’anah, we understand that the essence of this concession lies in the status of “a child’s mouth.“

It even further mentions references from Imam Ibn ash-Shalah and the ruling of Imam az-Zarkashi:

وألحق بها غيرها من أفواه المجانين. وجزم به الزركشي.

Meaning:

And he likened (equated) the ruling on the mouth of a small child to that of the mouth of a madman (majanin). And Imam az-Zarkashi has confirmed this ruling.

Why are crazy people equated with babies? Because both lack the reasoning ability to keep their mouths clean from impurities. This is a very humane fiqh logic.

Summary Table of Laws Concerning Unclean Babies

For easier reference, here is a comparison table based on the above references:

Situation	Affected Body Parts of the Mother	Law	Description
Baby breastfeeding after spitting up	Nipple / Breast	Ma’fu (Forgiven)	Due to urgent need (necessity).
Mother kisses baby after spitting up	Mother’s lips/face	Impure (Must be washed)	Mother as Muqabbil (kisser).
The mother touches the baby’s vomit.	Mother’s hands	Impure (Must Be Washed)	Mother as the Mumass (toucher).
Normal baby saliva (without vomit)	Clothing / Skin	Pure	Saliva is originally pure.

FAQ: Questions About the Text of Fathul Mu’in

Conclusion

Studying the translation of Fathul Mu’in gives us insight that Islamic jurisprudence is very detailed yet full of compassion. This fatwa by Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami is proof that Sharia law is not intended to make the role of mothers difficult.

For those of you who are breastfeeding, keep this in mind so that you can pray calmly without worrying too much. It is forgivable if your nipples come into contact with your baby’s mouth, but still maintain the cleanliness of your lips and hands if you kiss or clean your little one’s mess.

May this brief explanation from Classical Islamic Texts (Kitab Kuning) be useful. Don’t forget to send many blessings to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, so that our knowledge will be blessed.

Allah knows best (Wallahu a’lam).