She informed him that marriage in the pre-Islamic era took four forms.One of them was the marriage practiced by people today, in which a man proposes to another man for his ward or daughter, gives her a dowry, and then marries her.Another form was that a man would say to his wife, when she became pure from her menstruation, "Send for so-and-so and have intercourse with him." Her husband would keep away from her and never touch her until it became clear that she was pregnant from the man with whom she was seeking intercourse. Once her pregnancy was confirmed, her husband could be intimate with her again if he wished. He did this out of desire for noble offspring. This marriage was called the marriage of istibda (seeking impregnation).A third form was that a group of fewer than ten men would gather and all have intercourse with one woman. When she became pregnant and gave birth, after some nights had passed following the delivery, she would send for them, and none of them could refuse to come until they all gathered at her place. She would say to them, "You know what you have done, and now I have given birth. He is your son, so-and-so." She would name whichever of them she wished, and her child would be attributed to him, and the man could not refuse.The fourth form of marriage was that many men would gather and enter upon a woman who would not refuse anyone who came to her. These were the prostitutes. They used to set up flags at their doors as a sign, so whoever wanted them would enter. When one of them became pregnant and gave birth, the men would gather at her place and call for the physiognomists, who would then attribute the child to the man they judged to be the father. The child would be attached to him and called his son, and the man could not refuse.When Muhammad ﷺ was sent with the truth, he abolished all the marriages of the pre-Islamic era except the marriage practiced by people today.
قال يحيى بن سليمان حدثنا ابن وهب عن يونس ح و حدثنا أحمد بن صالح حدثنا عنبسة حدثنا يونس عن ابن شهاب قال أخبرني عروة بن الزبير أن
أخبرته أن النكاح في الجاهلية كان على أربعة أنحاء فنكاح منها نكاح الناس اليوم يخطب الرجل إلى الرجل وليته أو ابنته فيصدقها ثم ينكحها ونكاح آخر كان الرجل يقول لامرأته إذا طهرت من طمثها أرسلي إلى فلان فاستبضعي منه ويعتزلها زوجها ولا يمسها أبدا حتى يتبين حملها من ذلك الرجل الذي تستبضع منه فإذا تبين حملها أصابها زوجها إذا أحب وإنما يفعل ذلك رغبة في نجابة الولد فكان هذا النكاح نكاح الاستبضاع ونكاح آخر يجتمع الرهط ما دون العشرة فيدخلون على المرأة كلهم يصيبها فإذا حملت ووضعت ومر عليها ليال بعد أن تضع حملها أرسلت إليهم فلم يستطع رجل منهم أن يمتنع حتى يجتمعوا عندها تقول لهم قد عرفتم الذي كان من أمركم وقد ولدت فهو ابنك يا فلان تسمي من أحبت باسمه فيلحق به ولدها لا يستطيع أن يمتنع به الرجل ونكاح الرابع يجتمع الناس الكثير فيدخلون على المرأة لا تمتنع ممن جاءها وهن البغايا كن ينصبن على أبوابهن رايات تكون علما فمن أرادهن دخل عليهن فإذا حملت إحداهن ووضعت حملها جمعوا لها ودعوا لهم القافة ثم ألحقوا ولدها بالذي يرون فالتاط به ودعي ابنه لا يمتنع من ذلك فلما بعث محمد ﷺ بالحق هدم نكاح الجاهلية كله إلا نكاح الناس اليوم