Do you know why the Quran recommends breastfeeding a child for two years? And why are milk (or foster) relationships forbidden for marriage?Let me be the first to state that I have discovered a scientific connection between what is ordained in the Quran and new medical science with respect to breastfeeding an infant. Moreover, this does not apply to adults.Breast milk is essential for babies, and there is no difference in opinion by experts on that. Breastfeeding is beneficial for both the baby and the mother. Sometimes, a donor or foster mother feeds the baby. Breast milk is scientifically proven to contain essential nutrients beneficial for an infant’s physical and mental development. Scientific discoveries also reveal that a mother’s breast milk also strengthens infants’ antibodies and helps improve immunity against dangerous diseases. Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside the introduction of complementary foods for at least one year or at least two years or longer if desired.In hospitals, a frequent need is to supplement the supply and/or the nutrition of breast milk, which can come from the biological mother or some donor women. Compounding is the process where a pharmacist combines, mixes, or alters ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual baby. Milk from donor mothers is typically stored in a refrigerator and used for compounding and feeding the baby if the biological mother has insufficient milk supply.The latest scientific discoveries have also revealed that breast milk affects the baby’s genetic code. Specifically, it impacts the gene expressions. Thus, a non-biological mother (also called a foster mother) can impact the baby’s body. This knowledge was previously unknown as medical experts and scientists thought genes were fixed after the baby was born. However, modern research has confirmed that breast milk has a profound impact on genes, which continue to mature in simple layman’s terms.First of all, the Quran dictates that the infant is to be breastfed for two years (Suran Baqarah, The Calf, 2:233) in one verse and again in Surah Luqman (31:14). In another verse, the Quran states 30 months, including the pregnancy, giving counting flexibility to account for pre-mature birth (Surah Al-Ahqaf, 46:15) and some leverage on breastfeeding.Islam defines milk relations. It is forbidden for a milk child to marry his milk mother or a female child to marry her foster father (Surah Nisa, Women, 4:23). Similarly, the marital relations of foster siblings and offspring are forbidden. Detailed Islamic rules dictate that these laws hold for a child only for two years. After two years, swallowing breast milk has no such rules. Amazingly, modern science also reveals that the effect of breast milk on genes is only for two years and not after that.I made this discovery while in a discussion with the College of Nursing professors at the university for a related project and my own research. Declaration: The views are mine and not from my employer.