Ibn Shihab said “’Urwah bin Al Zubair asked A’ishah , wife of the Prophet ﷺ about the Qur’anic verse “And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you.” She said “O my nephew, this means the female orphan who is under the protection of her guardian and she holds a share in his property and her property and beauty attracts him; so her guardian intends to marry her without doing justice to her in respect of her dower and he gives her the same amount of dower as others give her. They (i.e., the guardians) were prohibited to marry them except that they do justice to them and pay them their maximum customary dower and they were asked to marry women other than them (i.e., the orphans) who seem good to them. ‘Urwah reported that A’ishah said “The people then consulted the Apostle of Allah ﷺ about women after revelation of this verse. Thereupon Allah the Exalted sent down the verse “They consult thee concerning women. Say Allah giveth you decree concerning them and the scripture which hath been recited unto you(giveth decree) concerning female orphans unto whom you give not that which is ordained for them though you desire to marry them. “ She said “The mention made by Allah about the Scripture recited to them refers to the former verse in which Allah has said “And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you.” A’ishah said “The pronouncement of Allah , the Exalted in the latter verse “though you desire to marry them” means the disinterest of one of you in marrying a female orphan who was under his protection, but she said little property and beauty. So they were prohibited to marry them for their interest in the property and beauty of the female orphans due to their disinterest in themselves except that they do justice )to them). The narrator Yunus said “Rabi’ah said explain the Qur’anic verse “And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans” means “Leave them if you fear (that you will not do justice to them), for I have made four women lawful for you.”

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 ﷺ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى { 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 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 ﷺ 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 .