Is the Wife's Mother Mehram to her Husband

 Praise be to Allah‼

The wife’s mother or grandmother is a Mahram once the marriage contract is done.

Allah says, listing the women who are mahrams; “your wife’s mothers” [al-Nisa’ 4:23], meaning your wife’s mothers are mahrams (forbidden in marriage) to you.

In the Quran, it is clearly categorized as women who are permanently forbidden for marriage. 

•  Those who are forbidden due to blood ties  There are seven who are mentioned in the Quran: mothers, daughters, sisters, paternal aunts, maternal aunts, brother’s daughters, and sister’s daughters.

• Mehrams through breastfeeding
• Mehrams through ties by marriage There are four: the father’s wife, the son’s wife, the wife’s mother, and the wife’s daughters.

The category of wife’s mother includes grandmother as well because, in the Quran, Allah says, “your wives’ mothers.”  If a man marries a woman, her mother and grandmother become forbidden from marriage to him, just by the marriage contract.

Many scholars view that the wife’s mother through breastfeeding is forbidden to her daughter’s husband, and there is no difference between her and a mother through blood ties.

The Standing Committee scholars discussed whether a man’s wife’s mother through breastfeeding is considered a mahram, as breastfeeding fulfills the conditions according to shari’ah. They concluded that breastfeeding is a mahram, as forbidden marriage through kinship ties, making the man a mahram to his wife’s mother. They also said it is permissible for him to see of his wife’s mother what a man sees of his mahrams, such as the face, hands, hair, and so on.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:  “and what becomes mahram (forbidden for marriage) through breastfeeding is that which becomes mahram through ties of kinship.” Based on this, he is a mahram to his wife’s mother through breastfeeding.

Some people get confused in this as well about whether the wife’s stepmother is mahram to her husband or not.

Shaikh Abd al-Azeez Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: – The father’s wife is not a mahram for the husband of a daughter from another woman.  

It is clearly said in the Quran as well that the father’s wife is not mehram to the daughter’s husband. Because Allah describes who is a mahram in Surah al-Nisa’ (interpretation of the meaning): “your wives’ mothers”. The father’s wife is not a mother of his daughter, and that applies equally to a wife’s mother through blood ties and her mother through breastfeeding, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “And what becomes mahram (forbidden for marriage) through breastfeeding is that which becomes mahram through ties of kinship.”

But if a man wants to propose to a woman and no marriage contract is done between them. At that time it is not permissible for him to shake hands and be friendly with the mother of his fianceé because she is regarded as a stranger to him. But after the marriage contract with her daughter, he is a mahram for her, and it is permissible for her to uncover her face and shake hands with her son-in-law.

And Allah knows better!