Hadith 5127

لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى : فَلا تَعْضُلُوهُنَّ سورة البقرة آية 232 فَدَخَلَ فِيهِ الثَّيِّبُ وَكَذَلِكَ الْبِكْرُ ، وَقَالَ : وَلا تُنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنُوا سورة البقرة آية 221، وَقَالَ : وَأَنْكِحُوا الأَيَامَى مِنْكُمْ سورة النور آية 32 .
Because Allah the Exalted says (in Surah Al-Baqarah) «فلا تعضلوهن‏» "When you divorce women and they have fulfilled their term, do not prevent them from remarrying their husbands." This includes both previously married and virgin women. And Allah the Exalted has said in the same Surah «ولا تنكحوا المشركين حتى يؤمنوا‏» "And do not marry polytheistic men [to your women] until they believe." And in Surah An-Nur He said «وأنكحوا الأيامى منكم‏» "Marry off those among you who are single."
قَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ ، عَنْ يُونُسَ . ح وحَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَنْبَسَةُ ، حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ ، عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، قَالَ :أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَتْهُ ، " أَنَّ النِّكَاحَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كَانَ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْحَاءٍ : فَنِكَاحٌ مِنْهَا نِكَاحُ النَّاسِ ، الْيَوْمَ يَخْطُبُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ وَلِيَّتَهُ أَوِ ابْنَتَهُ فَيُصْدِقُهَا ثُمَّ يَنْكِحُهَا ، وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ لِامْرَأَتِهِ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ مِنْ طَمْثِهَا : أَرْسِلِي إِلَى فُلَانٍ فَاسْتَبْضِعِي مِنْهُ ، وَيَعْتَزِلُهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلَا يَمَسُّهَا أَبَدًا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي تَسْتَبْضِعُ مِنْهُ ، فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا أَصَابَهَا زَوْجُهَا إِذَا أَحَبَّ ، وَإِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ رَغْبَةً فِي نَجَابَةِ الْوَلَدِ ، فَكَانَ هَذَا النِّكَاحُ نِكَاحَ الِاسْتِبْضَاعِ ، وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ يَجْتَمِعُ الرَّهْطُ مَا دُونَ الْعَشَرَةِ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ كُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُهَا فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ وَوَضَعَتْ وَمَرَّ عَلَيْهَا لَيَالٍ بَعْدَ أَنْ تَضَعَ حَمْلَهَا أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعُوا عِنْدَهَا تَقُولُ لَهُمْ قَدْ عَرَفْتُمُ الَّذِي كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ وَقَدْ وَلَدْتُ فَهُوَ ابْنُكَ يَا فُلَانُ تُسَمِّي مَنْ أَحَبَّتْ بِاسْمِهِ فَيَلْحَقُ بِهِ وَلَدُهَا لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ بِهِ الرَّجُلُ ، وَنِكَاحُ الرَّابِعِ يَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ الْكَثِيرُ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ لَا تَمْتَنِعُ مِمَّنْ جَاءَهَا وَهُنَّ الْبَغَايَا كُنَّ يَنْصِبْنَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِهِنَّ رَايَاتٍ تَكُونُ عَلَمًا فَمَنْ أَرَادَهُنَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ إِحْدَاهُنَّ وَوَضَعَتْ حَمْلَهَا جُمِعُوا لَهَا وَدَعَوْا لَهُمُ الْقَافَةَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُوا وَلَدَهَا بِالَّذِي يَرَوْنَ فَالْتَاطَ بِهِ وَدُعِيَ ابْنَهُ لَا يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ ، فَلَمَّا بُعِثَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْحَقِّ هَدَمَ نِكَاحَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كُلَّهُ إِلَّا نِكَاحَ النَّاسِ الْيَوْمَ " .
Narrated 'Urwa bin Az-Zubair: 'Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (saws) 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 awy 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 (saws) 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.
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب النكاح / 5127
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established that marriage (nikah) is under the authority of the guardian (wali), because Aisha radi Allahu anha described the first type of marriage which continued to exist even in the era of Islam: a man would send a proposal to the woman’s guardian (wali), who would then fix the dowry (mahr) and perform her marriage (nikah).
It is thus understood that the presence of a guardian (wali) is necessary for marriage (nikah).
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 5127
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Aishah radi Allahu anha mentioned only four types of marriage from the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah).
In addition to these, there were three other types of marriage which Aishah radi Allahu anha did not mention, and they are as follows:
* Secret marriage:
As stated in the noble verse:
“They should not take secret lovers.” (an-Nisa: 25)
In the era of Jahiliyyah, people used to say that there was no harm in secret fornication, but open fornication was blameworthy.
* Mut‘ah marriage (temporary marriage):
To marry for a limited number of days.
Islam has made this permanently forbidden.
* Nikah badal (exchange marriage):
In the era of Jahiliyyah, a man would say to another, “Hand over your wife to me, and I will hand over my wife to you.”
Since these marriages involved shamelessness and indecency,
Islam made them forbidden.
Only the first form of marriage was retained.

(2)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah established the chapter heading from this first form, that marriage is under the authority of the guardian (wali), because the hadith clarifies that a man would send a marriage proposal to the guardian of a woman, and the guardian, after fixing the dowry (mahr), would marry her off to him.
From this, it is understood that the presence of a guardian (wali) is necessary for marriage.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 5127
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
All forms of marriage other than the well-known Islamic marriage and, excepting the case of the land of Yemen (such as mut‘ah and others), are all forbidden. Furthermore, it is not permissible for any woman to contract marriage without a guardian (wali).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2272