Al-Baqarah 233: Mothers should nurse their infants for two years. This ruling is for those who desire to complete their nursing. The provision of food and clothing for the mother is up to the father of the infant, corresponding to what he can afford; no one should be burdened with what they cannot handle. No mother and no father should suffer a loss due to their child. With the death of the father, the inheritor is also like (the father in terms of providing food, clothing and incurring losses). If the mother and father decide to stop the nursing of the child, upon mutual consent, before the two years are complete, there is no sin upon them. If you desire to give your children to a nursing mother, there is no sin for you upon giving the nursing mother a payment which will satisfy her. With this, fear Allah and know that Allah knows and sees what you are doing.

Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 233 Zülkarneyn, at your command, Hodja, he says; yes, he is listening. In my message section — I said it because Zülkarneyn's name came up — in the message section it said Zülkarneyn. So he is listening.

What does it say now? Let mothers nurse their children for two full years. Two years. There is a wisdom in every command of our Lord.

Mother's milk is a vaccine for the child. A vaccine. Against all germs. Because the mother has built immunity to those germs. That immunity is in her milk. If the child nurses on it, it gains immunity to germs coming from outside. And the child grows up healthy and strong. (?), becomes strong. Those not fed with mother's milk, not fed with formulas, become mamalak. Mamalak. That's what they used to say, mamalak. All chubby like this, but powder-chubby. Then on to medicines. Then on to doctors. Yes. Let mothers nurse their children for two full years. This ruling is for those who want to complete the nursing.

That is, it is for those who want to complete nursing. Those who are ill are an exception. They give the child to wet nurses. Yes. The mothers' food and clothing, on a moderate scale, as far as he can afford, is on the child's father. (?) Let us say it once more. The mothers' food and clothing. On a moderate scale, on condition of not going to excess. As far as he can afford, it is on the child's father. No one is charged beyond his capacity. Look, Allah Almighty too — if you carry out His command, when it has become subject to His affliction on you, does that not indicate it is beyond your strength?

How beautifully He says it. What does He say here now? As far as he can afford, it is on the child's father; no one is charged beyond his capacity. Yes. Let neither a mother nor a father be harmed because of their child. Not be harmed because of their child. For example, there are such children that, even (?), sell their property, sell their possessions, run up debt. Let me put it this way: his father sells his own property to restore his, brings it back to a level. Then again he (?) gambling, or squanders it, or it goes on other gambling, drink, debauchery. Or he lacks the sense, does business, and on top of that the business loses.

Let me put it this way: the father also (?). Then when the father too is finished, what will happen? When the father too is finished? That's when disaster begins, Allah Almighty. That is why He says: because of your child do not be brought to harm.

A mother, and a father. Let them not be harmed because of their child. Harm. The one who becomes heir upon the father's death will also provide food. In matters of food and harm, he is like the father, He says. What is it? Those who become heirs. This time. I said pay close attention here. Let the father not be harmed because of his child. The one who becomes heir upon the father's death — who is the heir? My son. Excuse me. The heir. He too is in the father's position. Just so, if the other siblings are truly in a state where they will eat up and consume that property, he does not let them be brought to that harm from that property. By establishing his own authority over that property, he keeps them on their feet too. Because he is the father.

He keeps them on their feet. In matters of food, food and harm, he is like the father, it says. Look, do you see? Their food, their drink, all of it now belongs to him. Otherwise he too will finish it, and all together they will swim in misery. If the mother and father, by consultation and mutual consent, before two years are complete, wish to wean the child, there is no sin, two years. What is it? They agreed. The child harms the mother, or the mother is weak, or the mother is ill, or she works, sir; if you want to give your children to a wet nurse, He says. Yes. When you hand over the fee the wet nurses will accept, again there is no sin on you. But still, give that child (?) to a wet nurse.

That is, it protects that child. In terms of being immunized. Nevertheless, fear Allah and know that Allah knows perfectly and sees whatever you do.

Allah who created people, since He knows how these bodies are to be protected and what they need, commands that people's children be nursed for two full years. 24 months. As long as the child drinks mother's milk, it is protected from illnesses, and mother's milk serves the child as a vaccine. As I said just now, the mother has taken in all the germs. The flu, let me put it this way, the (?); some germs have entered that body without making her ill. Her red cells, her white cells have broken down those germs and gained immunity. So in that milk all of these, the immunity in the body the mother has acquired, are present, and the child is protected from illness.

For this reason Allah commands that mother's milk be nursed for two full years. At the same time, when the child turns two it starts to eat food. This time the nourishment the child needs is given through food.

If for some reason the mother falls ill and has no milk, with the consent of the mother and father the child is weaned and, if necessary, given to a wet nurse. When the fee this wet nurse asks is handed over to her, on the child's mother and father there is no sin. After all, the wet nurse will feed it too. She will be protected in some expenses and troubles. She will have fed it from what she herself eats. Because what she herself eats will become milk. She will have fed it from what she herself eats. She will have a right over that child. That is why the mother and father will hand that woman her due.

When the fee this wet nurse asks is handed over to her, on the child's mother and father there is no sin. This ruling holds whether or not the woman is divorced from her husband. But say the child divorced. The child — the woman divorced. And the child was just born. Or is about to be born from her womb. This ruling is like this. Whether she is divorced or not, these continue in this way, this law continues. The mothers' food and clothing — (?) is the father's duty. Because the husband will be at his wife's side in her illness, in her clothing and dress, in her food and drink, right by her side.

Right by her side. What is it? In her illness, in her eating and drinking, in her clothing, he will be at her side. And the husband's right over the woman is that she will protect her husband's property, not squander it, and help him as needed. She too, in his illness, hunger — that is, when he cannot work — will both help him in his illness and look after him as far as her home allows, and when he cannot work and is in distress, she will be patient. She will be patient with her husband's situation. Yes.

Does Allah not ask of anyone anything beyond their strength, and where it is beyond their strength, not hold them responsible? Since He does not ask it, He does not hold them responsible either. If mother and father try to raise their children outside their own way of life, they come to harm.

The meaning we want to say here is this: mother and father are people honored with the religion of Islam. Outside their own way of life, that is, people in prayer, in fasting, in ablution, in zakat. But the new generation — although that father prays, although that mother prays, although that family knows Allah, they never remind their children of Allah. And they neither send their children to the Quran nor encourage them to pray. Oh, let my son, my daughter lie down, sleep, rest. He will pray later — when he says that, that child, when he grows up, recognizes neither mother nor father. And he does it so nicely to him.

How nice. Because everyone will bear the consequence of what he did. If look, I have told my children. Do not obey me. Obey Allah. Allah. Well, Hodja, what kind of thing are you saying? Do not obey me, obey Allah. Well, if he obeyed Allah, then he will obey me. That mother and father do not tell him of Allah. Of themselves. Or, to (?) their self, they try to turn him toward themselves. (?) The time came, and he says: off you go (?). But if he had obeyed Allah, he would not have said to you: off you go (?). Yes. That is why (?) your children: first obey Allah. Allah. If you can make him obey Allah, he will automatically obey you.

Yes.

If, in a life beyond their means, they spend their wealth for their children, they can neither raise that child nor save themselves. What do they do? They go into debt. Oh, so that my child can study, let me put it this way, they take out loans. They do who knows what. Then they cannot pay back that money. There are those who sold their homes to educate them. I know this. They sold their homes, educated them. Then that mother and father were left in distress. That child did not look after that mother and father either. He doesn't even get up. That was his duty, he says. He was going to educate me, he says.

He shouldn't have brought me into life, he says. Because he did not teach him Allah. Had he taught him Allah, he would not say: it was his duty to educate me, he brought me into life. His future is there, and Allah Almighty made them the means. He could not know his Lord's command. Yes. And so, both toward Allah and toward the family (?).

For this reason, let us mention here a saying of our ancestors, he says. Stretch your feet according to your blanket. Of course every person wants to raise his child in the best way. Of course. Who would not want his child raised in the best way? Well, young people. But what does it say within Allah Almighty's verses? Iqra, read. Read. Look, what does Allah Almighty say? Iqra, read. After that, Bismi rabbikalladhi: read in the name of Allah. First teach them Allah, then teach them this.

In this respect.

However, this does not mean that, out of your own wealth, (?) in need of this one and that one, (?), as he said just now, Allah Almighty in His verse. Sir, Allah has measured out everyone's provision. How many who grew up poor became trillionaires, and how many who grew up rich became poor. So according to this verse Allah warns people: for your child, do not bring yourself into a state of need, He says.

Submit to Allah, Allah knows best about everything, and do not neglect the effort you can make; take your precaution, leave the outcome to Allah. The one who becomes heir upon the father's death, that is, among the heirs, the eldest brother or an uncle — whoever is in the position of guardian — he is just like the father.

The money to be given to the child's wet nurse and the mother's food and clothing are the responsibility of this person in the position of guardian. Since in the losses he suffers in his business dealings the person in the position of father is just like the father, no one can put responsibility on him or say anything. Just as when a father suffers a loss in the trade he does, does the family at home stand against him? It happens, loss happens. And the heir is the same. He strives to look after them, but he made a loss. It happens. When he makes a profit it's good, but when he makes a loss it's bad.

Profit and loss are within Allah's commands, in the testing of people. Yes. Nevertheless, fear Allah and know that Allah knows perfectly and sees whatever you do — according to this verse, Allah Almighty looks not at what people do, but at their intentions. He calls people to account according to their intentions. For this reason, with this verse, He wants us to behave sincerely toward people with a pure heart, to act by conscience, to act by our conscience, and by making known that Allah is aware of everything, that nothing can be hidden from Him, that on the Day of Resurrection we will be gathered before Him and called to account, He wants us to be upright and good people. For this reason He declares His verses to us in this way.

Now we use a statement here. Let us open it up a bit. Allah Almighty looks not at what people do but at their intentions. Their intentions. This seems a bit tangled, but if we open it up in words it settles in better. For example, I did some business and suffered a loss. I caused the person across from me a loss. But that was not my intention. That was not my intention. It was to bring you benefit. But I cannot know the unseen. My Lord knows this. So He still gives me a reward. Even though I caused you a loss. He gives you a separate reward too. Because you suffered a loss due to this person's sincerity.

Now here it seems a bit tangled, but it is a very beautiful state. He looks not at what people do but at their intentions. Now there is also this situation. A man inwardly bears a grudge against someone else. But he also does him a good deed. Well, now my intention is to bear him a grudge; the actual deed I did — will He not write its reward for me? He will. Well, doesn't this now contradict that? But however much, within the actual deed I did, this intention in my heart may be bad toward him, since He will call me to account for the actual deed, He will give me a reward. Here I have a reward. (?) Or I am preparing my trap for him in other ways.

(?), but there I did him a good deed. This time, because by my intention I bear him a grudge, the good I did He does not write as a sin for me. He takes my actual deed into account. My actual deed. On the other hand, because of a harm I did him unknowingly — here there is unknowingly. If, because of a harm I did unknowingly, saying let me do good, I caused him harm, deeds depend on intention, He says. Again He gives me a good. Here Allah Almighty protects people. People. Because He loves them very much, He protects them. And He (?) causes that will save them. Causes. Yes.