Sahih al-Bukhari 5127

Hadith text

Narrated 'Urwa bin Az-Zubair: 'Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) told him that there were four types of marriage during Pre-Islamic period of Ignorance. One type was similar to that of the present day i.e. a man used to ask somebody else for the hand of a girl under his guardianship or for his daughter's hand, and give her Mahr and then marry her. The second type was that a man would say to his wife after she had become clean from her period. "Send for so-and-so and have sexual intercourse with him." Her husband would then keep away from her and would never sleep with her till she got pregnant from the other man with whom she was sleeping. When her pregnancy became evident, he husband would sleep with her if he wished. Her husband did so (i.e. let his wife sleep with some other man) so that he might have a child of noble breed. Such marriage was called as Al-Istibda'. Another type of marriage was that a group of less than ten men would assemble and enter upon a woman, and all of them would have sexual relation with her. If she became pregnant and delivered a child and some days had passed after delivery, she would sent for all of them and none of them would refuse to come, and when they all gathered before her, she would say to them, "You (all) know waht you have done, and now I have given birth to a child. So, it is your child so-and-so!" naming whoever she liked, and her child would follow him and he could not refuse to take him. The fourth type of marriage was that many people would enter upon a lady and she would never refuse anyone who came to her. Those were the prostitutes who used to fix flags at their doors as sign, and he who would wished, could have sexual intercourse with them. If anyone of them got pregnant and delivered a child, then all those men would be gathered for her and they would call the Qa'if (persons skilled in recognizing the likeness of a child to his father) to them and would let the child follow the man (whom they recognized as his father) and she would let him adhere to him and be called his son. The man would not refuse all that. But when Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent with the Truth, he abolished all the types of marriages observed in pre-Islamic period of Ignorance except the type of marriage the people recognize today

Urwa bin Az-Zubair bataate hain: Aisha, Nabi (SAW) ki zawja, ne unhein bataaya ke jaahiliyat ke daur mein nikaah ke chaar tarike the. Pehla tareeka aaj ke jaisa hi tha - ek aadmi kisi doosre se uski nigraani mein ladki ya uski beti ka rishta maangta, use Mahr deta aur phir usse nikaah karta. Doosra tareeka ye tha ke ek aadmi apni biwi se, uske haiz se paak hone ke baad, kehta, "Falaan ke paas jaao aur uske saath humbistari karo." Uska shohar phir usse door rehta aur usse tab tak nahi sota jab tak wo us doosre aadmi se hamila na ho jaaye jiske saath wo so rahi thi. Jab uska hamal zaahir ho jaata, uska shohar chaahe to usse phir se sota. Wo aisa isliye karta taake use ek shareef nasal ka bacha mil sake. Aisa nikaah 'Al-Istibda' kehlaata tha. Nikaah ka ek aur tareeka ye tha ke das se kam mardon ka ek giroh ikattha hokar ek aurat ke paas jaata, aur wo sab uske saath jinsi rishta rakhte. Agar wo hamila ho jaati aur bacha janm deti, aur kuch din guzarne ke baad wo un sab logon ko bulwaati, aur unmein se koi bhi aane se inkaar nahi karta, aur jab sab uske saamne jama ho jaate, to wo unse kehti, 'Tum (sab) jaante ho tumne kya kiya, aur ab maine bacha janm diya hai. To ye tumhaara bacha hai, falaan!' jiska bhi naam wo lena chaahti, aur uska bacha usi ke naam se jaana jaata aur wo usse inkaar nahi kar sakta tha. Chautha tareeka ye tha ke bahut se log ek aurat ke paas jaate aur wo kisi ko bhi mana nahi karti thi. Ye wahi randiya thin jo apne darwaazon par nishaan ke taur par jhande lagaati thin, aur jo bhi chaahta unke saath jinsi rishta rakh sakta tha. Agar unmein se koi hamila ho jaati aur bacha janm deti, to un sab mardon ko uske paas bulaaya jaata aur Qaaif (bachche ki shakl se uske baap ko pehchaanne mein maahir log) ko bulaaya jaata, aur bache ko usi shaks se jodha jaata (jise wo baap maante), aur wo aurat use usi ke saath rehne deti aur use uska beta kehlaati. Wo aadmi isse inkaar nahi karta. Magar jab Muhammad (SAW) ko haq ke saath bheja gaya, unhone jaahiliyat ke daur ke ye sab nikaah ke tareeke khatam kar diye, siwaaye us tareeke ke jo aaj log jaante hain.

Sahih al-Bukhari 5127 · Book 67, Hadith 63