Muwatta Malik
Book 36, Hadith 27
Arabic hadith text
وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ مَنْ أَحْيَا أَرْضًا مَيِّتَةً فَهِيَ لَهُ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَعَلَى ذَلِكَ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا .
Translation
Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah fromhis father that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Whoever revives dead land,it belongs to him."
Malik said, "That is what is done in ourcommunity."