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، - رضى الله عنها - زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ النِّكَاحَ كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْحَاءٍ فَنِكَاحٌ مِنْهَا نِكَاحُ النَّاسِ الْيَوْمَ يَخْطُبُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ وَلِيَّتَهُ فَيُصْدِقُهَا ثُمَّ يَنْكِحُهَا وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ لاِمْرَأَتِهِ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ مِنْ طَمْثِهَا أَرْسِلِي إِلَى فُلاَنٍ فَاسْتَبْضِعِي مِنْهُ وَيَعْتَزِلُهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلاَ يَمَسُّهَا أَبَدًا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي تَسْتَبْضِعُ مِنْهُ فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا أَصَابَهَا زَوْجُهَا إِنْ أَحَبَّ وَإِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ رَغْبَةً فِي نَجَابَةِ الْوَلَدِ فَكَانَ هَذَا النِّكَاحُ يُسَمَّى نِكَاحَ الاِسْتِبْضَاعِ وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ يَجْتَمِعُ الرَّهْطُ دُونَ الْعَشَرَةِ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ كُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُهَا فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ وَوَضَعَتْ وَمَرَّ لَيَالٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ تَضَعَ حَمْلَهَا أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعُوا عِنْدَهَا فَتَقُولُ لَهُمْ قَدْ عَرَفْتُمُ الَّذِي كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ وَقَدْ وَلَدْتُ وَهُوَ ابْنُكَ يَا فُلاَنُ فَتُسَمِّي مَنْ أَحَبَّتْ مِنْهُمْ بِاسْمِهِ فَيُلْحَقُ بِهِ وَلَدُهَا وَنِكَاحٌ رَابِعٌ يَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ الْكَثِيرُ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ لاَ تَمْتَنِعُ مِمَّنْ جَاءَهَا وَهُنَّ الْبَغَايَا كُنَّ يَنْصِبْنَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِهِنَّ رَايَاتٍ يَكُنَّ عَلَمًا لِمَنْ أَرَادَهُنَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ فَوَضَعَتْ حَمْلَهَا جُمِعُوا لَهَا وَدَعَوْا لَهُمُ الْقَافَةَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُوا وَلَدَهَا بِالَّذِي يَرَوْنَ فَالْتَاطَهُ وَدُعِيَ ابْنَهُ لاَ يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا صلى الله عليه وسلمهَدَمَ نِكَاحَ أَهْلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كُلَّهُ إِلاَّ نِكَاحَ أَهْلِ الإِسْلاَمِ الْيَوْمَ ‏.‏

A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), informed him that marriage in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance was of four types. One of them was the marriage of the people today: a man asks a man for his female relative's hand in marriage, gives her a dower, and then marries her. Another type of marriage was that a man would say to his wife, when she became pure from her menses: "Send for so-and-so and seek intercourse with him." Her husband would keep away from her and not touch her at all until her pregnancy from that man with whom she sought intercourse became clear. When her pregnancy became clear, her husband would approach her if he wished. This was done merely out of a desire for a noble child. This marriage was called nikah al-istibda' (marriage of seeking intercourse). A third type of marriage was that a group of people, less than ten, would gather and enter upon a woman, and all of them would have intercourse with her. When she became pregnant and gave birth, and a number of days passed after she gave birth, she would send for them, and no man among them could refuse until they gathered by her. She would say to them: "You know what your affair was, and I have given birth. This is your son, O so-and-so," naming whichever of them she loved by his name, and her child would be attached to him. A fourth type of marriage was that many people would gather and enter upon a woman who would not refuse anyone who came to her. These were the prostitutes; they used to set up flags at their doors as a sign for whoever wanted them, and they would enter upon them. When she became pregnant and gave birth, they would gather for her and call the qafah (physiognomists/experts in tracing lineage), and then attach her child to the one they favored, and he would be called his son and would not refuse that. When Allah sent Muhammad (ﷺ), he demolished all the marriages of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance except the marriage of Islam today.