35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3874 — Cultivate Land or Give It Freely
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
Sharecropping Hadith: Cultivate the Land or Give It to a Muslim Brother
Sunan an-Nasai : 3874
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3874
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا فَإِنْ عَجَزَ أَنْ يَزْرَعَهَا فَلْيَمْنَحْهَا أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ وَلاَ يُزْرِعْهَا إِيَّاهُ ".
Jabir Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever has land, let him cultivate it. If he is unable to cultivate it, let him give it to his Muslim brother and not share-crop it with him."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3874In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 18English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3905
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3874
This hadith about sharecropping gives a simple order to a landowner. Whoever has land should cultivate it. If the owner cannot cultivate it, he should give it to his Muslim brother. The narration then says not to enter a sharecropping arrangement with him. The text places personal cultivation first and free access for a brother second. It does not mention a fixed cash rent, a crop fraction, or any other payment in this wording. The safest explanation is therefore to stay with the stated alternatives. The hadith encourages land to be used while keeping the helping relationship clear. It also separates giving a brother the land to cultivate from making the specific sharecropping deal rejected in the report.
What we learn from this hadith
- A landowner should cultivate the land when able.
- If unable, the owner may give it to a Muslim brother to cultivate.
- The specific sharecropping arrangement mentioned is rejected.
- The report distinguishes a free grant of use from a crop-sharing deal.
