A court in Al-Rass near Madinah has issued a verdict separating a couple after finding out that they had been breastfed by the same woman, local reports say.

The separation order comes 25 years after the couple were married and blessed with seven children.

The judge issued the verdict on the basis of a religious edict issued by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, media reports said.

According to a saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “Breastfeeding makes forbidden what is forbidden by blood relations.”

It means that even if a man and woman are not related by blood if they were breastfed by the same woman when they were babies, they should not be allowed to marry each other.

The case surfaced three months ago and the judge gave his final verdict on Tuesday after consulting the grand mufti, an Arabic daily said.

Details of the couple’s childhood were not available, but it is common in many communities worldwide for nursing mothers to breastfeed the baby of a relative, a colleague at work, a neighbor or a friend when the other baby’s mother is not present.