Sufi Motherhood and Reimagining Breastfeeding from “Distraction” to Mystical Piety

Can breastfeeding a child be seen as mystical practice? Early Sufi hagiographies often present infants as “distractions” from mystical piety. In this framework, Sufi women either avoided having children or “paused” their devotions until their children were self-sufficient. Drawing on feminist methodologies, this presentation argues that viewing breastfeeding as a distraction from God is rooted in a masculine-centered worldview. Because medieval Islamic legal, religious, and medical sources recommended a two-year lactation period free of sexual activity, I suggest this period could be one of intense religious focus for Sufi mothers. Beyond being freed of sexual obligations to their spouse, the belief that a woman’s character influenced the quality of her breastmilk, women might be extra scrupulous in mystical devotion during lactation. Finally, because a nursing baby is utterly dependent upon their mother, I argue that breastfeeding can be seen as a means to meditate upon one’s dependence upon God.