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Sahla bint Suhayl Ordered to Breastfeed Adult Salim (Ibn Majah's Chain)

Ibn Majah 1666 (parallels m08, Muslim 1411)
The text
Ibn Majah 1666 — Records the same incident as Muslim 1411 (entry m08): Sahla bint Suhayl came to the Messenger of Allah complaining that her husband Abu Hudhayfah was uncomfortable with the adult Salim's continuing presence in their household. Muhammad instructed her to breastfeed Salim — establishing milk-kinship that resolved the religious-legal issue.
Context

Ibn Majah 1666 records the same hadith as Muslim 1411 (entry m08) — adult breastfeeding to establish kinship. The Ibn Majah version provides cross-collection independent attestation for the canonical preservation of the doctrine.

The substantive issues are addressed in entry m08. The Ibn Majah contribution: cross-collection consistency confirms the doctrine is canonical Islamic teaching, not a peripheral or contested narration.

The analysis from entry m08 applies fully here.

Premises
  1. P1. Ibn Majah 1666 preserves the adult-breastfeeding (Sahla/Salim) hadith.
  2. P2. The hadith parallels Muslim 1411 with cross-collection independent attestation.
  3. P3. The doctrine permits adult breastfeeding to establish kinship for resolving household-religious problems.
  4. P4. The act is sexually charged in any non-religious context.
  5. P5. Companion-level disagreement and ongoing scholarly debate reflect the doctrine's contested character.
  6. P6. Modern application (2007 Al-Azhar fatwa) has produced significant public discomfort.
  7. P7. A morally serious revelation does not solve household-religious problems through adult breastfeeding. (See entry m08.)
Conclusion

Ibn Majah 1666 reinforces the adult-breastfeeding doctrine with cross-collection attestation. (See entry m08 for substantive analysis.)

Common Muslim responses · with counter-responses
Common Muslim response · 1

Salim case was exceptional — not generalisable.

Counter-response

Aisha advocated extending; Maliki school accepted under conditions. (See m08.)

Common Muslim response · 2

Indirect milk transfer preserves the principle without awkwardness.

Counter-response

Original case was direct; principle remains. (See m08.)

Common Muslim response · 3

Salim was younger than the texts suggest.

Counter-response

Text describes adult/bearded man. (See m08.)

Common Muslim response · 4

Wise social engineering of kinship.

Counter-response

Concedes kinship is being manipulated for convenience. (See m08.)

Common Muslim response · 5

Modern context different from 7th-century.

Counter-response

Hadith's classical Sunni doctrine has been universal in application. (See m08.)