'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.  

أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ 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 لاِمْرَأَتِهِ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ مِنْ طَمْثِهَا أَرْسِلِي إِلَى فُلاَنٍ فَاسْتَبْضِعِي مِنْهُ وَيَعْتَزِلُهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلاَ 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 الاِسْتِبْضَاعِ وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ يَجْتَمِعُ الرَّهْطُ مَا دُونَ الْعَشَرَةِ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ كُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُهَا فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ وَوَضَعَتْ وَمَرَّ عَلَيْهَا لَيَالِيَ 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 فُلاَنُ تُسَمِّي مَنْ أَحَبَّتْ بِاسْمِهِ فَيَلْحَقُ بِهِ وَلَدُهَا لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ بِهِ الرَّجُلُ وَنِكَاحُ الرَّابِعِ يَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ الْكَثِيرُ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ لاَ 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 لاَ يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا بُعِثَ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ بِالْحَقِّ هَدَمَ نِكَاحَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ كُلَّهُ إِلاَّ نِكَاحَ النَّاسِ الْيَوْمَ  

A’ishah wife of the Prophet ﷺ said “Marriage in pre Islamic times was of four kinds.” One of them was the marriage contracted by the people today. A man asked another man to marry his relative (sister or daughter) to him. He fixed the dower and married her to him. Another kind of marriage was that a man asked his wife when she became pure from menstruation to send fro so and so and have sexual intercourse with him. Her husband kept himself aloof and did not have intercourse with her till It became apparent that she was pregnant from the man who had intercourse with her. When it was manifest that she was pregnant, her husband approached her if he liked. This marriage was called istibda’(to utilize man for intercourse for a noble birth). A third kind of marriage was that a group of people less than ten in number entered upon a woman and had intercourse with her. When she conceived gave birth to a child and a number of days passed after her delivery, she sent for them. No one of them could refuse to attend and they gathered before her. She said to them “You have realized your affair. I have now given birth to a child. And this is your son. O so and so. She called the name of anyone of them she liked and the child was attributed to him. A fourth kind of marriage was that many people gathered together and entered upon a woman who did not prevent anyone who came to her. They were prostitutes. They hoisted flags at their doors which served as a sign for the one who intended to enter upon them. When she became pregnant and delivered the child , they got together before her and called for the experts of tracing relationship from physical features. They attributed the child to whom they considered and it was given to him. The child was called his son and he could not deny. When Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ as a Prophet, he abolished all kinds of marriages prevalent among the people of the pre Islamic times except of the Muslims practiced today. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2272)   

ؓ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَنَّ النِّكَاحَ كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَنْحَاءٍ فَنِكَاحٌ مِنْهَا نِكَاحُ النَّاسِ الْيَوْمَ يَخْطُبُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ وَلِيدَتَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ وَلِيَّتَهُ فَيُصْدِقُهَا ثُمَّ يَنْكِحُهَا وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ لِامْرَأَتِهِ إِذَا طَهُرَتْ مِنْ طَمَثِهَا أَرْسِلِي إِلَى فُلَانٍ اسْتَبْضِعِي مِنْهُ وَيَعْتَزِلُهَا زَوْجُهَا وَلَا يَمَسُّهَا أَبَدًا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ حَمْلُهَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَسْتَبْضِعُ مِنْهُ فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ حَمْلَهَا أَصَابَهَا زَوْجُهَا إِنْ أَحَبَّ وَإِنَّمَا يَصْنَعُ ذَلِكَ رَغْبَةً فِي نَجَابَةِ الْوَلَدِ فَكَانَ هَذَا النِّكَاحُ نِكَاحَ الِاسْتِبْضَاعِ وَنِكَاحٌ آخَرُ يَجْتَمِعُ فِيهِ الرَّهْطُ دُونَ الْعَشَرَةِ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ كُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُهَا فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ وَوَضَعَتْ وَمَرَّ لَيَالِي بَعْدَ أَنْ تَضَعَ حَمْلَهَا أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَمْتَنِعَ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعُوا عِنْدَهَا فَتَقُولُ لَهُمْ قَدْ عَرَفْتُمُ الَّذِي كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ وَقَدْ وَلَدْتُ وَهَذَا ابْنُكَ يَا فُلَانُ فَتُسَمِّي مَنْ أَحَبَّتْ مِنْهُمْ بِاسْمِهِ فَيَلْحَقُ بِهِ وَلَدُهَا وَالنِّكَاحُ الرَّابِعُ يَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ الْكَثِيرُ فَيَدْخُلُونَ عَلَى الْمَرْأَةِ لَا تَمْتَنِعُ مِمَّنْ جَاءَهَا وَهُنَّ الْبَغَايَا هُنَّ يَنْصِبْنَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِهِنَّ رَايَاتٍ يَكُنَّ عَلَمًا لِمَنْ أَرَادَهُنَّ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَإِذَا حَمَلَتْ فَوَضَعَتْ حَمْلَهَا جَمَعُوا لَهَا وَدَعُوا لَهُمُ الْقَافَةَ ثُمَّ أَلْحَقُوا وَلَدَهَا بِالَّذِي يَرَوْنَ فَالْتَطَاهُ وَدَعِيُّ ابْنِهِ لَا يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا بَعَثَ اللهُ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ بِالْحَقِّ أَبْطَلَ وَهَدَمَ نِكَاحَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِلَّا نِكَاحَ الْإِسْلَامِ الْيَوْمَ