حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَنْبَسَةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ حَدَّثَنِي يُونُسُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ قَالَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ شِهَابٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ النِّکَاحَ کَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ عَلَی أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْحَائٍ فَکَانَ مِنْهَا نِکَاحُ النَّاسِ الْيَوْمَ يَخْطُبُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَی الرَّجُلِ وَلِيَّتَهُ فَيُصْدِقُهَا ثُمَّ يَنْکِحُهَا وَنِکَاحٌ آخَرُ کَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ لِامْرَأَتِهِ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ مِنْ طَمْثِهَا أَرْسِلِي إِلَی فُلَانٍ فَاسْتَبْضِعِي مِنْهُ وَيَعْتَزِلُهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلَا يَمَسُّهَا أَبَدًا حَتَّی يَتَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا مِنْ ذَلِکَ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي تَسْتَبْضِعُ مِنْهُ فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا أَصَابَهَا زَوْجُهَا إِنْ أَحَبَّ وَإِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِکَ رَغْبَةً فِي نَجَابَةِ الْوَلَدِ فَکَانَ هَذَا النِّکَاحُ يُسَمَّی نِکَاحَ الِاسْتِبْضَاعِ وَنِکَاحٌ آخَرُ يَجْتَمِعُ الرَّهْطُ دُونَ الْعَشَرَةِ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَی الْمَرْأَةِ کُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُهَا فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ وَوَضَعَتْ وَمَرَّ لَيَالٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ تَضَعَ حَمْلَهَا أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ حَتَّی يَجْتَمِعُوا عِنْدَهَا فَتَقُولُ لَهُمْ قَدْ عَرَفْتُمْ الَّذِي کَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِکُمْ وَقَدْ وَلَدْتُ وَهُوَ ابْنُکَ يَا فُلَانُ فَتُسَمِّي مَنْ أَحَبَّتْ مِنْهُمْ بِاسْمِهِ فَيَلْحَقُ بِهِ وَلَدُهَا وَنِکَاحٌ رَابِعٌ يَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ الْکَثِيرُ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَی الْمَرْأَةِ لَا تَمْتَنِعُ مِمَّنْ جَائَهَا وَهُنَّ الْبَغَايَا کُنَّ يَنْصِبْنَ عَلَی أَبْوَابِهِنَّ رَايَاتٍ يَکُنَّ عَلَمًا لِمَنْ أَرَادَهُنَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ فَوَضَعَتْ حَمْلَهَا جُمِعُوا لَهَا وَدَعَوْا لَهُمْ الْقَافَةَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُوا وَلَدَهَا بِالَّذِي يَرَوْنَ فَالْتَاطَهُ وَدُعِيَ ابْنَهُ لَا يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْ ذَلِکَ فَلَمَّا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَدَمَ نِکَاحَ أَهْلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ کُلَّهُ إِلَّا نِکَاحَ أَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ الْيَوْمَ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 2272
Aishah wife of the Prophet ﷺ said “Marriage in pre Islamic times was of four kinds. ” One of them was the marriage contracted by the people today. A man asked another man to marry his relative (sister or daughter) to him. He fixed the dower and married her to him. Another kind of marriage was that a man asked his wife when she became pure from menstruation to send fro so and so and have sexual intercourse with him. Her husband kept himself aloof and did not have intercourse with her till It became apparent that she was pregnant from the man who had intercourse with her. When it was manifest that she was pregnant, her husband approached her if he liked. This marriage was called istibda’ (to utilize man for intercourse for a noble birth). A third kind of marriage was that a group of people less than ten in number entered upon a woman and had intercourse with her. When she conceived gave birth to a child and a number of days passed after her delivery, she sent for them. No one of them could refuse to attend and they gathered before her. She said to them “You have realized your affair. I have now given birth to a child. And this is your son. O so and so. She called the name of anyone of them she liked and the child was attributed to him. A fourth kind of marriage was that many people gathered together and entered upon a woman who did not prevent anyone who came to her. They were prostitutes. They hoisted flags at their doors which served as a sign for the one who intended to enter upon them. When she became pregnant and delivered the child, they got together before her and called for the experts of tracing relationship from physical features. They attributed the child to whom they considered and it was given to him. The child was called his son and he could not deny. When Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ as a Prophet, he abolished all kinds of marriages prevalent among the people of the pre Islamic times except of the Muslims practiced today.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020