Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3928
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ زُرَارَةَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ، قَالَ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ يَقُولُ الأَرْضُ عِنْدِي مِثْلُ مَالِ الْمُضَارَبَةِ فَمَا صَلُحَ فِي مَالِ الْمُضَارَبَةِ صَلُحَ فِي الأَرْضِ وَمَا لَمْ يَصْلُحْ فِي مَالِ الْمُضَارَبَةِ لَمْ يَصْلُحْ فِي الأَرْضِ. قَالَ وَكَانَ لاَ يَرَى بَأْسًا أَنْ يَدْفَعَ أَرْضَهُ إِلَى الأَكَّارِ عَلَى أَنْ يَعْمَلَ فِيهَا بِنَفْسِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَأَعْوَانِهِ وَبَقَرِهِ وَلاَ يُنْفِقَ شَيْئًا وَتَكُونَ النَّفَقَةُ كُلُّهَا مِنْ رَبِّ الأَرْضِ.
ʿAmr ibn Zurarah reported to us: Ismaʿil informed us: Ibn ʿAwn narrated to us that Muhammad used to say: ‘To me, land is like a mudarabah investment: whatever is valid in a mudarabah investment is valid with land, and whatever is not valid in a mudarabah investment is not valid with land.’ He saw no harm in giving his land to a cultivator on the condition that the cultivator work it with his own labor, his children, helpers, and oxen, contribute nothing in expenses, and have all expenses paid by the landowner.
Translation notes
Mudarabah is a partnership in which one party provides capital and another provides labor.