The Book of Agriculture

Muhammad ibn Hatim reported to us: Hibban informed us: ʿAbdullah informed us, from Shuʿbah, from Hammad, from Ibrahim, from Abu Saʿid, who said: ‘When you hire a worker, make his wage known to him.’

Muhammad reported to us: Hibban informed us: ʿAbdullah informed us, from Hammad ibn Salamah, from Yunus, from al-Hasan, that he disapproved of a man hiring a worker before making the worker’s wage known to him.

Muhammad ibn Hatim reported to us: Hibban informed us: ʿAbdullah informed us, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from Hammad—meaning Ibn Abi Sulayman—that he was asked about a man who hired a worker in return for feeding him. He said: ‘No, not until you make it known to him.’

Muhammad reported to us: Hibban narrated to us: ʿAbdullah informed us, from Maʿmar, from Hammad and Qatadah, concerning a man who said to another: ‘I will hire you to take me to Mecca for such-and-such an amount. If I travel for a month—or for another specified period—you will receive an additional such-and-such amount.’ They saw no harm in that. They disapproved of his saying: ‘I will hire you for such-and-such an amount, but if I travel for more than a month, I will deduct such-and-such from your fare.’

Muhammad ibn Hatim reported to us: Hibban informed us: ʿAbdullah informed us, from Ibn Jurayj, read aloud to him. He said: I asked ʿAtaʾ: “I hire a servant for one year in return for his food, and for another year for such-and-such.” He said: “There is no harm in that. Your stipulation is sufficient when you hire him, whether for a number of days or after part of the year has already passed, provided you say: ‘You will not charge me for the time that has passed.’”

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim reported to us: Khalid—meaning Ibn al-Harith—informed us: I read to ʿAbd al-Hamid ibn Jaʿfar, who said: My father informed me, from Rafiʿ ibn Usayd ibn Zuhayr, from his father, Usayd ibn Zuhayr, that he went to his people among Banu Harithah and said: “Banu Harithah, a calamity has befallen you.” They asked: “What is it?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden renting out land.” We said: “Messenger of Allah, then may we rent it for some grain?” He said: “No.” He said: “We used to rent it for straw, and he said: ‘No.’ We used to rent it for what grew along the irrigating watercourse. He said: ‘Cultivate it yourself or grant it to your brother.’” Mujahid disagreed with him.

Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak reported to us: Yahya—meaning Ibn Adam—narrated to us: Mufaddal—meaning Ibn Muhalhil—from Mansur, from Mujahid, from Usayd ibn Zuhayr, who said: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij came to us and said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade you from sharecropping on the basis of a third or a quarter, and from muzabanah. Muzabanah is buying the fruit on the date palms for a specified number of wasqs of dates.”

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna reported to us: Muhammad narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Mansur, who said: I heard Mujahid narrating from Usayd ibn Zuhayr, who said: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij came to us and said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us something that had been beneficial to us, but obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is better for you. He forbade you from al-haql and said: ‘Whoever has land should grant it or leave it.’ He also forbade muzabanah. Muzabanah is when a man has a large amount of date palms, then another man comes and takes them for such-and-such wasqs of dates.”

Muhammad ibn Qudamah informed me: Jarir narrated to us, from Mansur, from Mujahid, from Usayd ibn Zuhayr, who said: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij came to us and said—I did not understand [what he said]—then he said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade you something that used to benefit you, and obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is better for you than what benefits you. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade you al-haql—sharecropping for a third or a quarter. Whoever has land and has no need of it should grant it to his brother or leave it. He also forbade you muzabanah. Muzabanah is when a man comes to a large date orchard and says: ‘Take it for such-and-such wasqs of this year’s dates.’”

Ibrahim ibn Yaʿqub ibn Ishaq informed me: ʿAffan narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Wahid narrated to us: Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman narrated to us, from Mujahid, who said: Usayd ibn Rafiʿ ibn Khadij narrated to me that Rafiʿ ibn Khadij said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade you something that had benefited us, but obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more beneficial for us.” He said: “Whoever has land should cultivate it; if he is unable to, he should have his brother cultivate it.” ʿAbd al-Karim ibn Malik differed from him.

ʿAli ibn Hujr reported to us: ʿUbaydullah—meaning Ibn ʿAmr—informed us, from ʿAbd al-Karim, from Mujahid, who said: I took Tawus by the hand and brought him to the son of Rafiʿ ibn Khadij. He related to him from his father, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that he had forbidden renting out land. Tawus refused [to accept this] and said: “I heard Ibn ʿAbbas; he saw no harm in it.” Abu ʿAwanah also narrated it from Abu Husayn, from Mujahid, who attributed it to Rafiʿ in a mursal form.

Qutaybah reported to us: Abu ʿAwanah narrated to us, from Abu Husayn, from Mujahid, who said: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us something that had benefited us, and the Messenger of Allah’s command is accepted wholeheartedly. He forbade us from taking land on lease in exchange for a portion of its produce.” Ibrahim ibn Muhajir corroborated him.

Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us, from ʿUbaydullah, who said: Israʾil narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Muhajir, from Mujahid, from Rafiʿ ibn Khadij, who said: The Prophet ﷺ passed by land belonging to a man of the Ansar whom he knew to be in need. He asked: “Whose land is this?” They said: “It belongs to so-and-so; he gave it to me for rent.” He said: “If only he had granted it to his brother.” Rafiʿ then went to the Ansar and said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden you something that had benefited you, but obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more beneficial for you.”

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna and Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; they said: Muhammad narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from al-Hakam, from Mujahid, from Rafiʿ ibn Khadij, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade al-haql.

ʿAmr ibn ʿAli reported to us, from Khalid—meaning Ibn al-Harith—who said: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Malik, from Mujahid, who said: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to us and forbade us something that had benefited us. He said: ‘Whoever has land should cultivate it, grant it, or leave it.’

ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Khalid reported to us: Hajjaj narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to me, from ʿAbd al-Malik, from ʿAtaʾ, Tawus, and Mujahid, from Rafiʿ ibn Khadij, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to us and forbade us something that had benefited us, but the Messenger of Allah’s command is better for us. He said: “Whoever has land should cultivate it, leave it, or grant it.” The source adds: “Among the indications that Tawus did not hear this hadith…”

Muhammad ibn ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak informed me: Zakariyya ibn ʿAdi narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from ʿAmr ibn Dinar, who said: Tawus used to disapprove of leasing his land for gold and silver, but saw no harm in taking a third or a quarter [of its produce]. Mujahid said to him: “Go to the son of Rafiʿ ibn Khadij and hear his hadith.” He replied: “By Allah, if I knew that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had forbidden it, I would not do it. But Ibn ʿAbbas, who knew better than him, related to me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ only said: ‘For one of you to grant his land to his brother is better than taking a specified rent for it.’” The scholars differed over the chain of this hadith from ʿAtaʾ: ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Maysarah narrated it from ʿAtaʾ, from Rafiʿ, as mentioned earlier; ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abi Sulayman narrated it from ʿAtaʾ, from Jabir.

Ismaʿil ibn Masʿud narrated to us: Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Malik narrated to us, from ʿAtaʾ, from Jabir, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever has land should cultivate it. If he is unable to cultivate it, he should grant it to his Muslim brother and not lease it to him for cultivation.’

ʿAmr ibn ʿAli reported to us: Yahya narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Malik narrated to us, from ʿAtaʾ, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever has land should cultivate it or grant it to his brother, and he should not rent it out.’ ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAmr al-Awzaʿi corroborated him.

Hisham ibn ʿAmmar reported to us, from Yahya ibn Hamzah, who said: al-Awzaʿi narrated to us, from ʿAtaʾ, from Jabir, who said: Some people had surplus lands that they rented out for half, a third, or a quarter [of the produce]. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever has land should cultivate it, have it cultivated, or hold on to it.’ Matar ibn Tahman agreed with him.