ʿUrwa bin Az-Zubair said that he asked ʿAisha about the meaning of the Qur'anic Verse:-- "And if you fear that you will not deal fairly with the orphan girls then marry (other) women of your choice." (4.2-3) Aisha said, "It is about a female orphan under the guardianship of her guardian who is inclined towards her because of her beauty and wealth, and likes to marry her with a Mahr less than what is given to women of her standard. So they (i.e. guardians) were forbidden to marry the orphans unless they paid them a full appropriate Mahr (otherwise) they were ordered to marry other women instead of them. Later on the people asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it. So Allah revealed the following Verse:-- "They ask your instruction (O Muhammad!) regarding women. Say: Allah instructs you regarding them..." (4.127) and in this Verse Allah indicated that if the orphan girl was beautiful and wealthy, her guardian would have the desire to marry her without giving her an appropriate Mahr equal to what her peers could get, but if she was undesirable for lack of beauty or wealth, then he would not marry her, but seek to marry some other woman instead of her. So, since he did not marry her when he had no inclination towards her, he had not the right to marry her when he had an interest in her, unless he treated her justly by giving her a full Mahr and securing all her rights. (Using translation from Bukhārī 2763)   

{وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَى وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ} [النساء 3] قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ هِيَ الْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ وَلِيِّهَا فَيَرْغَبُ فِي جَمَالِهَا أَوْ مَالِهَا وَيُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا بِأَدْنَى مِنْ سُنَّةِ نِسَائِهَا فَنُهُوا عَنْ نِكَاحِهِنَّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُقْسِطُوا لَهُنَّ فِي إِكْمَالِ الصَّدَاقِ وَأُمِرُوا بِنِكَاحِ مَنْ سِوَاهُنَّ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ ثُمَّ اسْتَفْتَى النَّاسُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ} [النساء 127] قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ بَيَّنَ اللهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ أَنَّ الْيَتِيمَةَ إِذَا كَانَتْ ذَاتَ جَمَالٍ وَمَالٍ رَغِبُوا فِي نِكَاحِهَا وَلَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِسُنَّةِ نِسَائِهَا فِي إِكْمَالِ الصَّدَاقِ وَإِذَا كَانَتْ مَرْغُوبًا عَنْهَا فِي قِلَّةِ الْمَالِ تَرَكُوهَا وَالْتَمَسُوا غَيْرَهَا مِنَ النِّسَاءِ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ فَكَمَا تَرَكُوهَا حِينَ يَرْغَبُونَ عَنْهَا فَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَنْكِحُوهَا إِذَا رَغِبُوا فِيهَا إِلَّا أَنْ يُقْسِطُوا لَهَا وَيُعْطُوهَا حَقَّهَا الْأَوْفَى مِنَ الصَّدَاقِ  

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 Allaah ﷺ about women after revelation of this verse. Thereupon Allaah the Exalted sent down the verse “They consult thee concerning women. Say Allaah 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 Allaah about the Scripture recited to them refers to the former verse in which Allaah 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 Allaah , 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.” (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2068)   

زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللهِ ﷻ {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ} [النساء 3] قَالَتْ يَا ابْنَ أُخْتِي هَذِهِ الْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ وَلِيِّهَا تُشَارِكُهُ فِي مَالِهِ فَيُعْجِبُهُ مَالُهَا وَجَمَالُهَا فَيُرِيدُ وَلِيُّهَا أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا بِغَيْرِ أَنْ يُقْسِطَ فِي صَدَاقِهَا فَيُعْطِيَهَا مِثْلَ مَا يُعْطِيهَا غَيْرُهُ فَنُهُوا عَنْ أَنْ يَنْكِحُوهُنَّ إِلَّا أَنْ يُقْسِطُوا لَهُنَّ وَيُبَلِّغُوهُنَّ أَعْلَى سِنَّهُنَّ مِنَ الصَّدَاقِ وَأُمِرُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَهُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ سِوَاهُنَّ قَالَ عُرْوَةُ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ ثُمَّ إِنَّ النَّاسَ اسْتَفْتَوْا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ بَعْدَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ فِيهِنَّ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ {وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ} [النساء 127] قَالَ وَالَّذِي ذُكِرَ أَنَّهُ يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ الْآيَةُ الْأُولَى الَّتِي قَالَ فِيهَا {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ} [النساء 3] قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ فِي الْآيَةِ الْأُخْرَى {وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ} [النساء 127] رَغْبَةَ أَحَدِكُمْ عَنْ يَتِيمَتِهِ الَّتِي تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِهِ حِينَ تَكُونُ قَلِيلَةَ الْمَالِ وَالْجَمَالِ فَنُهُوا أَنْ يَنْكِحُوا مَا رَغِبُوا فِي مَالِهَا وَجَمَالِهَا مِنْ يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا بِالْقِسْطِ مِنْ أَجْلِ رَغْبَتِهِمْ عَنْهُنَّ  

[Machine] "And Rabee'ah said regarding the saying of Allah ﷻ {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls} [An-Nisa' 3], He [Rabee'ah] said: He [Allah] is saying to leave them if you fear, then you are allowed to marry four."  

وَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ ﷻ {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى} [النساء 3] قَالَ يَقُولُ اتْرُكُوهُنَّ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ فَقَدْ أَحْلَلْتُ لَكُمْ أَرْبَعًا  

[Machine] "Abdullah Al-Hafiz informed Abu Ahmad that he is Al-Naysaburi. Abu Al-Jahm Ahmad bin Al-Hussein Al-Qurashi narrated from Ahmad bin Abi Al-Hawari, who narrated from Abu Muawiyah, who narrated from Hisham, who narrated from his father, who narrated from Aisha, regarding the saying of Allah, "They ask you for a legal verdict concerning women. Say: Allah gives you a ruling about them" [Quran 4:127] until the end of the verse. She said that it is a story about an orphan girl who was in a man's house and she shared in his wealth. He desires not to marry her but also not to let anyone else marry her, so he keeps her confined. Allah forbade them from doing such a thing."  

عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ أنبأ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ هُوَ الْحَافِظُ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ ثنا أَبُو الْجَهْمِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْقُرَشِيُّ ثنا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْحَوَارِي ثنا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ثنا هِشَامٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ فِي قَوْلِ اللهِ ﷻ {يَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ} [النساء 127] إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ قَالَتْ هِيَ الْيَتِيمَةُ فِي حِجْرِ الرَّجُلِ قَدْ شَرِكَتْهُ فِي مَالِهِ فَيَرْغَبُ عَنْهَا أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا وَيَرْغَبُ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهَا فَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَالِهَا فَيَحْبِسُهَا فَنَهَاهُمُ اللهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ