Reviving Dead Land

Narrated Sa'id ibn Zayd:

The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone brings barren land into cultivation, it belongs to him, and the unjust vein has no right.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ أَحْيَا أَرْضًا مَيْتَةً فَهِيَ لَهُ وَلَيْسَ لِعِرْقٍ ظَالِمٍ حَقٌّ " .

Narrated Urwah:

The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone brings barren land into cultivation, it belong to him. He then transmitted a similar tradition mentioned above (No. 3067).

He ('Urwah) said: One who transmitted this tradition to me said that two persons brought their dispute to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. One of them grew palm trees in the land of the other. He decided to return the land to its owner of the palm-trees to remove his palm-trees. He said: I saw when their roots were being struck with axes. The trees were fully grown up, but they were removed from there.

حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ إِسْحَاقَ - عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ أَحْيَا أَرْضًا مَيْتَةً فَهِيَ لَهُ " . وَذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ قَالَ فَلَقَدْ خَبَّرَنِي الَّذِي حَدَّثَنِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ اخْتَصَمَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ غَرَسَ أَحَدُهُمَا نَخْلاً فِي أَرْضِ الآخَرِ فَقَضَى لِصَاحِبِ الأَرْضِ بِأَرْضِهِ وَأَمَرَ صَاحِبَ النَّخْلِ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ نَخْلَهُ مِنْهَا . قَالَ فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهَا وَإِنَّهَا لَتُضْرَبُ أُصُولُهَا بِالْفُئُوسِ وَإِنَّهَا لَنَخْلٌ عُمٌّ حَتَّى أُخْرِجَتْ مِنْهَا .

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ibn Ishaq through a different chain of narrators and to the same effect. Instead of the phrase “one who transmitted this tradition to me” this version has “A man from among the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ and probably he was Abu Sa’id Al Khudri. I saw the man striking at the roots of the palm trees.”

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الدَّارِمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا وَهْبٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، بِإِسْنَادِهِ وَمَعْنَاهُ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ مَكَانَ الَّذِي حَدَّثَنِي هَذَا فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَكْثَرُ ظَنِّي أَنَّهُ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيُّ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُ الرَّجُلَ يَضْرِبُ فِي أُصُولِ النَّخْلِ .

Narrated Urwah:

I testify that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ decided that the land is the land of Allah, and the servants are the servants of Allah. If anyone brings barren land into cultivation, he has more right to it.

This tradition has been transmitted to us from the Prophet ﷺ by those who transmitted the traditions about prayer from him.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ الآمُلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَخْبَرَنَا نَافِعُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَضَى أَنَّ الأَرْضَ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَالْعِبَادَ عِبَادُ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ أَحْيَا مَوَاتًا فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهِ جَاءَنَا بِهَذَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ الَّذِينَ جَاءُوا بِالصَّلَوَاتِ عَنْهُ .

Narrated Samurah:

The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone surrounds a land with a wall, it belongs to him.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ سَمُرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ " مَنْ أَحَاطَ حَائِطًا عَلَى أَرْضٍ فَهِيَ لَهُ " .

Hisham said “The unjust vein means that a man implants a tree in the land of another man so that they may be entitled to it. Malik said “The unjust vein means that a man takes (a thing) digs a pit and implants a tree without (his) right.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ السَّرْحِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي مَالِكٌ، قَالَ هِشَامٌ الْعِرْقُ الظَّالِمُ أَنْ يَغْرِسَ الرَّجُلُ فِي أَرْضِ غَيْرِهِ فَيَسْتَحِقَّهَا بِذَلِكَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالْعِرْقُ الظَّالِمُ كُلُّ مَا أُخِذَ وَاحْتُفِرَ وَغُرِسَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ .

Abu Humaid Al Sa’idi said “I went to Tabuk on an expedition along with the Apostle of Allah ﷺ. When he reached Wadi Al Qura, he found a woman in her garden. The Apostle of Allah ﷺ said to his Companions “Assess (the quantity o fruits). The Apostle of Allah ﷺ assessed ten wasqs.” He said to the woman “Count the produce of it. We then came to Tabuk.” The monarch of Ailah presented a white mule as a gift to the Apostle of Allah ﷺ. He presented a cloak as a gift o him and wrote a document for his land at sea coast. When we came to Wadi Al Qura he said to the woman “How much is the produce of your garden?” She replied “Ten wasqs which the Apostle of Allah ﷺ had assessed.” The Apostle of Allah ﷺ said “I am going quickly to Madeenah if any of you intend to go quickly with me , he should make haste.”

حَدَّثَنَا سَهْلُ بْنُ بَكَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ يَحْيَى، عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ السَّاعِدِيِّ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ - عَنْ أَبِي حُمَيْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ، قَالَ غَزَوْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ تَبُوكَ فَلَمَّا أَتَى وَادِيَ الْقُرَى إِذَا امْرَأَةٌ فِي حَدِيقَةٍ لَهَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَصْحَابِهِ " اخْرُصُوا " . فَخَرَصَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَشَرَةَ أَوْسُقٍ فَقَالَ لِلْمَرْأَةِ " أَحْصِي مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا " . فَأَتَيْنَا تَبُوكَ فَأَهْدَى مَلِكُ أَيْلَةَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَغْلَةً بَيْضَاءَ وَكَسَاهُ بُرْدَةً وَكَتَبَ لَهُ - يَعْنِي - بِبَحْرِهِ . قَالَ فَلَمَّا أَتَيْنَا وَادِيَ الْقُرَى قَالَ لِلْمَرْأَةِ " كَمْ كَانَ فِي حَدِيقَتِكِ " . قَالَتْ عَشَرَةَ أَوْسُقٍ خَرْصَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنِّي مُتَعَجِّلٌ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَمَنْ أَرَادَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَتَعَجَّلَ مَعِي فَلْيَتَعَجَّلْ " .