Muzara'ah (Sharecropping)

Amr ibn Dinar said:

I heard Ibn Umar say: We did not see any harm in sharecropping till I heard Rafi' ibn Khadij say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden it. So I mentioned it to Tawus. He said: Ibn Abbas told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had not forbidden it, but said: It is better for one of you to lend to his brother than to take a prescribed sum from him.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، يَقُولُ مَا كُنَّا نَرَى بِالْمُزَارَعَةِ بَأْسًا حَتَّى سَمِعْتُ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْهَا . فَذَكَرْتُهُ لِطَاوُسٍ فَقَالَ قَالَ لِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهَا وَلَكِنْ قَالَ " لأَنْ يَمْنَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَرْضَهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَيْهَا خَرَاجًا مَعْلُومًا " .

Narrated 'Urwah b. al-Zubair:

That Zayd ibn Thabit said: May Allah forgive Rafi' ibn Khadij. I swear by Allah, I have more knowledge of Hadith than him. Two persons of the Ansar (according to the version of Musaddad) came to him who were disputing with each other. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If this is your position, then do not lease the agricultural land. The version of Musaddad has: So he (Rafi' ibn Khadij) heard his statement: Do not lease agricultural lands.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرٌ، - الْمَعْنَى - عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ، عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي الْوَلِيدِ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، قَالَ قَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لِرَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ أَنَا وَاللَّهِ، أَعْلَمُ بِالْحَدِيثِ مِنْهُ إِنَّمَا أَتَاهُ رَجُلاَنِ - قَالَ مُسَدَّدٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا - قَدِ اقْتَتَلاَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا شَأْنَكُمْ فَلاَ تُكْرُوا الْمَزَارِعَ " . زَادَ مُسَدَّدٌ فَسَمِعَ قَوْلَهُ " لاَ تُكْرُوا الْمَزَارِعَ " .

Narrated Sa'd:

We used to lease land for what grew by the streamlets and for what was watered from them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us to do that, and commanded us to lease if for gold or silver.

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَبِيبَةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا نُكْرِي الأَرْضَ بِمَا عَلَى السَّوَاقِي مِنَ الزَّرْعِ وَمَا سَعِدَ بِالْمَاءِ مِنْهَا فَنَهَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَأَمَرَنَا أَنْ نُكْرِيَهَا بِذَهَبٍ أَوْ فِضَّةٍ .

Narrated Hanzlah b. Qais al-Ansari:

I asked Rafi' b. Khadij about the lease of land for gold and silver (i.e. for dinars and dirhams). There is no harm in it, for the people used to let out land in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for what grew by the current of water and at the banks of streamlets and at the places of cultivation. So sometimes this (portion) perished and that (portion) was saved, and sometimes this remained intact and that perished. There was no (form of) lease among the people except this. Therefore, he forbade it. But if there is something which is secure and known, then there is no harm in it. The tradition of Ibrahim is more perfect. Qutaibah said: "from Hanzalah on the authority of Rafi' ".

Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by Yahya b. Sa'id from Hanzalah.

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الرَّازِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى، حَدَّثَنَا الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِلأَوْزَاعِيِّ - حَدَّثَنِي حَنْظَلَةُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الأَنْصَارِيُّ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ، بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ فَقَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهَا إِنَّمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ يُؤَاجِرُونَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِمَا عَلَى الْمَاذِيَانَاتِ وَأَقْبَالِ الْجَدَاوِلِ وَأَشْيَاءَ مِنَ الزَّرْعِ فَيَهْلِكُ هَذَا وَيَسْلَمُ هَذَا وَيَسْلَمُ هَذَا وَيَهْلِكُ هَذَا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِلنَّاسِ كِرَاءٌ إِلاَّ هَذَا فَلِذَلِكَ زَجَرَ عَنْهُ فَأَمَّا شَىْءٌ مَضْمُونٌ مَعْلُومٌ فَلاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ . وَحَدِيثُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَتَمُّ وَقَالَ قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ عَنْ رَافِعٍ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رِوَايَةُ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ نَحْوَهُ .