حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ السَّرْحِ الْمِصْرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ‏‏{‏ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ ‏}‏ قَالَتْ يَا ابْنَ أُخْتِي هِيَالْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ وَلِيِّهَا فَتُشَارِكُهُ فِي مَالِهِ فَيُعْجِبُهُ مَالُهَا وَجَمَالُهَا فَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا بِغَيْرِ أَنْ يُقْسِطَ فِي صَدَاقِهَا فَيُعْطِيَهَا مِثْلَ مَا يُعْطِيهَا غَيْرُهُ فَنُهُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوهُنَّ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُقْسِطُوا لَهُنَّ وَيَبْلُغُوا بِهِنَّ أَعْلَى سُنَّتِهِنَّ مِنَ الصَّدَاقِ وَأُمِرُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَهُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ سِوَاهُنَّ ‏.‏ قَالَ عُرْوَةُ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ النَّاسَ اسْتَفْتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعْدَ هَذِهِ الآيَةِ فِيهِنَّ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏‏{‏ وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ اللاَّتِي لاَ تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ ‏}‏ قَالَتْ وَالَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ الآيَةُ الأُولَى الَّتِي قَالَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى ‏‏{‏ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ ‏}‏ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي الآيَةِ الآخِرَةِ ‏‏{‏ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ ‏}‏ هِيَ رَغْبَةُ أَحَدِكُمْ عَنْ يَتِيمَتِهِ الَّتِي تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِهِ حِينَ تَكُونُ قَلِيلَةَ الْمَالِ وَالْجَمَالِ فَنُهُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا رَغِبُوا فِي مَالِهَا وَجَمَالِهَا مِنْ يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنْ أَجْلِ رَغْبَتِهِمْ عَنْهُنَّ ‏.‏ قَالَ يُونُسُ وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏‏{‏ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى ‏}‏ قَالَ يَقُولُ اتْرُكُوهُنَّ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَقَدْ أَحْلَلْتُ لَكُمْ أَرْبَعًا

Ibn Shihab said: Urwah ibn al-Zubair informed me that he asked Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ), regarding the statement of Allah the Most High:

And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of women

She said: O son of my sister, this is the female orphan who is in the care of her guardian. She shares in his property, and her wealth and beauty charm him, so he wants to marry her without dealing justly concerning her dowry by giving her what anyone else would give her. Therefore, they were forbidden from marrying them unless they dealt justly with them and raised their dowries to the highest standard, and they were commanded to marry other women who were pleasing to them.

Urwah said: Aishah stated that the people then asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for legal rulings regarding them after this verse, whereupon Allah, Mighty and Majestic, revealed:

And they request a decree from you concerning women. Say, Allah gives you a decree about them and what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them while you desire to marry them

She said: The Book which Allah mentioned was recited to them in the first verse, in which Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said:

And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of women

Aishah said: The statement of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in the other verse:

And [while] you desire to marry them

refers to a man's reluctance to marry his female orphan when she has little wealth and beauty, as he is under her care. Consequently, they were forbidden from marrying those whose wealth and beauty they desired—among the orphan women—unless they acted with justice, because of their reluctance toward them.

Yunus said: Rabiiah said regarding the statement of Allah, Mighty and Majestic:

And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls

He says: Leave them if you fear, for I have made four lawful for you.