Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
bayhaqi:13847Abū Zakariyyā b. Abū Isḥāq al-Muzakkī from my father

[Machine] In His saying {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four...} [An-Nisa 3], regarding the orphans, it is said that they used to marry ten young girls in the times of ignorance and they used to honor the orphans. So, they investigated the matters related to their religion regarding the orphans and they left what they used to marry in the times of ignorance. Allah the Almighty said {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four...}[An-Nisa 3] and He prohibited them from what they used to marry in the times of ignorance.  

البيهقي:١٣٨٤٧أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْمُزَكِّي أنبأ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الطَّرَائِفِيُّ ثنا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ

فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا} [النساء 3] فِي الْيَتَامَى قَالَ كَانُوا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَنْكِحُونَ عَشْرًا مِنَ النِّسَاءِ الْأَيَامَى وَكَانُوا يُعَظِّمُونَ شَأْنَ الْيَتِيمِ فَتَفَقَّدُوا أَمْرَ دِينِهِمْ بِشَأْنِ الْيَتَامَى وَتَرَكُوا مَا كَانُوا يَنْكِحُونَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى {وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلَّا تُقْسِطُوا فِي الْيَتَامَى فَانْكِحُوا مَا طَابَ لَكُمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ مَثْنَى وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ} [النساء 3] وَنَهَاهُمْ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَنْكِحُونَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ