35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3877 — Do Not Rent Out Agricultural Land
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 Renting Land: Cultivate It or Let Someone Else Farm
Sunan an-Nasai : 3877
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3877
أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، - وَهُوَ أَبُو عُمَيْرِ بْنُ النَّحَّاسِ - وَعِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ - هُوَ الْفَاخُورِيُّ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ضَمْرَةُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شَوْذَبٍ، عَنْ مَطَرٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ خَطَبَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا أَوْ لِيُزْرِعْهَا وَلاَ يُؤَاجِرْهَا ".
Jabir bin `Abdullah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah addressed us and said: 'Whoever has land, let him cultivate it or give it to someone else to cultivate, and let him not rent it out.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3877In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 21English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3908
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3877
This hadith records a public address from the Messenger of Allah about agricultural land. He says that whoever owns land should cultivate it or give another person the opportunity to cultivate it. He then says not to rent it out. The wording is simple and does not name a rental price, a percentage of crops, or a time period. For that reason, the explanation should remain tied to the stated instruction. The owner has the option of farming the land personally or allowing someone else to farm it. The hadith about renting land also shows that this guidance was delivered openly to the people, making the practical choices easy to understand without adding details that the narration itself does not provide.
What we learn from this hadith
- A landowner is told to cultivate the land.
- The owner may let another person cultivate it.
- The narration says not to rent the land out.
- The public wording gives clear and practical alternatives.
