35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3879 — Forbidden Crop and Fruit Transactions
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 Selling Fruit: Wait Until It Is Fit to Eat
Sunan an-Nasai : 3879
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3879
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْمُفَضَّلُ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، وَأَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنِ الْمُخَابَرَةِ وَالْمُزَابَنَةِ وَالْمُحَاقَلَةِ وَبَيْعِ الثَّمَرِ حَتَّى يُطْعَمَ إِلاَّ الْعَرَايَا. تَابَعَهُ يُونُسُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ.
It was narrated from Jabir that the Prophet forbade Al-Mukhabarah, Al-Muzabanah and Al-Muhaqalah, and selling fruit until it is fit to eat (ripe enough), except in the case of Al-'Araya.
[1] A definition follows after No. 3914, and some of them say it is leasing the land for cultivation, while the owner will get whatever is produced from one area of it, and another area is for the cultivator. See the commentary of As-Sindî. In Fath Al-Bârî (after No. 2327) Ibn Hajar mentioned the view that Al-Mukhâbarah refers to share-cropping when the seeds are supplied by the cultivator, while Al-Muzâ'arah refers to share-cropping when the seeds are supplied by the owner of the land.[2] Selling fresh, as-yet-unharvested and unmeasured dates for a certain measure of dried dates.[3] Renting land in return for one-third or one-quarter of the produce.[4] 'Arâyâ (singular: 'Ariya ): This refers to when the fruits of a designated tree were given as a gift to another person, then the giver was troubled by the recipient's coming to his garden to gather the dates, so he was permitted to buy the fresh dates in return for dried dates.Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3879In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 23English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3910
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3879
This hadith lists several prohibited transactions: Al-Mukhabarah, Al-Muzabanah, and Al-Muhaqalah. It also forbids selling fruit before it is fit to eat, while mentioning an exception for Al-Araya. The narration does not define every named term in this wording, so a strict explanation should not assign detailed meanings that are not supplied in the text. Its clearest everyday teaching concerns the sale of fruit before ripeness: the fruit should not be sold until it can be eaten. The Al-Araya exception is stated but not explained here. A reader studying hadith about selling unripe fruit can therefore take the direct rule from the wording while recognizing that the named transactions and exception need their own supporting reports for fuller detail.
What we learn from this hadith
- Al-Mukhabarah, Al-Muzabanah, and Al-Muhaqalah are forbidden in this narration.
- Fruit should not be sold before it is fit to eat.
- The hadith mentions an exception for Al-Araya.
- The undefined trade terms should not be given invented meanings from this text alone.
