35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3866 — Cultivate Your Land or Let a Brother Farm It
Mentioning The Differing Hadiths Regarding The Prohibition Of Leasing Out Land In Return For One Third, Or One Quarter Of The Harvest And The Different Wordings Reported By The Narrators
Hadith About Cultivating Land: Farm It or Let Your Brother Farm
Sunan an-Nasai : 3866
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3866
أَخْبَرَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أُسَيْدُ بْنُ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَافِعُ بْنُ خَدِيجٍ نَهَاكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ لَنَا نَافِعًا وَطَاعَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْفَعُ لَنَا قَالَ " مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا فَإِنْ عَجَزَ عَنْهَا فَلْيُزْرِعْهَا أَخَاهُ ". خَالَفَهُ عَبْدُ الْكَرِيمِ بْنُ مَالِكٍ.
Usaid bin Rafi' bin Khadij Narrated from:
Rafi' bin Khadij said: 'The Messenger of Allah has forbidden something for you that used to be beneficial for us, but obedience to the Messenger of Allah is more beneficial for us. He said: Whoever has land let him cultivate it, and if he is unable to do so, let him give it to his brother to cultivate."'"
[1] That is: contradicted Sa'eed bin 'Abdur-Rahmân, both of whom narrated it from Mujâhid, as will be seen in the next chain of narration.Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3866In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 10English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3897
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3866
This hadith about cultivating land gives a direct and practical choice. Rafi bin Khadij says that the Messenger of Allah stopped them from an arrangement that had been useful, but obedience to him was more beneficial. The Prophet then says that whoever owns land should cultivate it. If the owner is unable to do that, he should let his brother cultivate it. The narration does not add a rental price, crop percentage, or other payment condition to this instruction. Its focus is the productive use of land and allowing another person to farm it when the owner cannot. It also teaches that prophetic guidance should be valued above a practice simply because people find it financially useful.
What we learn from this hadith
- A landowner is encouraged to cultivate his own land.
- If the owner cannot cultivate it, he may let his brother do so.
- The instruction is presented without a rent or crop-share condition.
- Obedience to the Messenger of Allah is described as more beneficial than the former practice.
