A Saudi court has ruled that a couple who have been married for the last 25 years with seven children must separate after it was discovered they had been breastfed by the same woman, it was reported.

The judge issued the verdict on the basis of a religious edict issued by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh in which he quoted a saying by the Prophet Muhammad that “breastfeeding makes forbidden what is forbidden by blood relations”.

The case surfaced three months ago. However, a final verdict was given on Tuesday after consultation with the Grand Mufti, the English-language Arab News said.

It is unclear as to the circumstances surrounding the couple’s bizarre infancy rendezvous, with no details given of how they came to be breastfed by the same woman.

There is no suggestion they are related and details of how the pair’s seven children will be cared for were also not reported.