Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3346
أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، وَسُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ، عَنِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ عَائِشَةَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ } قَالَتْ يَا ابْنَ أُخْتِي هِيَ الْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ وَلِيِّهَا فَتُشَارِكُهُ فِي مَالِهِ فَيُعْجِبُهُ مَالُهَا وَجَمَالُهَا فَيُرِيدُ وَلِيُّهَا 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 فَأُمِرُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَهُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ سِوَاهُنَّ قَالَ عُرْوَةُ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ النَّاسَ اسْتَفْتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعْدُ فِيهِنَّ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ } إِلَى قَوْلِهِ { وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ } قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ وَالَّذِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ يُتْلَى فِي الْكِتَابِ الآيَةُ الأُولَى الَّتِي فِيهَا { وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ لاَ تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ } قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ فِي الآيَةِ الأُخْرَى { وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ } رَغْبَةَ أَحَدِكُمْ عَنْ يَتِيمَتِهِ الَّتِي تَكُونُ فِي حَجْرِهِ حِينَ تَكُونُ قَلِيلَةَ الْمَالِ وَالْجَمَالِ فَنُهُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا رَغِبُوا فى مَالِهَا مِنْ يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنْ أَجْلِ رَغْبَتِهِمْ عَنْهُنَّ .
Yunus ibn Abd al-A'la and Sulayman ibn Dawud reported to us, from Ibn Wahb; he said: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Urwah ibn al-Zubayr informed me that he asked A'ishah about Allah’s saying: ‘If you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry women of your choice.’ She said, ‘My sister’s son, this concerns an orphan girl who is under her guardian’s care and shares in his property. Her wealth and beauty please him, and he wants to marry her without giving her a fair bridal dower—without giving her what another man would give her. They were forbidden to marry such girls unless they dealt justly with them and gave them the highest customary dower. They were then told to marry other women they found suitable.’ Urwah said: A'ishah also said that later people asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for a ruling about women, and Allah, Mighty and Exalted, revealed: ‘They ask you for a ruling concerning women. Say: Allah gives you a ruling about them…’ up to His words, ‘…and you wish to marry them.’ A'ishah said: ‘What Allah mentions as being recited in the Book is the first verse: “If you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry women of your choice.”’ She said that Allah’s words in the other verse, ‘and you wish to marry them,’ refer to a man’s reluctance to marry the orphan girl in his care when she has little wealth and beauty. They were forbidden to marry orphan girls whose wealth they desired unless they acted justly toward them, because they were unwilling to marry those girls.’
Translation notes
A'ishah’s explanation distinguishes the verse about marrying other women from the later ruling about women. The report describes guardians’ interest in an orphan’s wealth and beauty, the requirement of a fair customary dower, and the contrasting reluctance to marry an orphan with little wealth or beauty.