35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3895 — Obedience Over a Profitable Custom
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
Obedience and the Hadith on Crop-Share Land Leasing
Sunan an-Nasai : 3895
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3895
أَخْبَرَنِي زِيَادُ بْنُ أَيُّوبَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا نُحَاقِلُ بِالأَرْضِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَنُكْرِيهَا بِالثُّلُثِ وَالرُّبُعِ وَالطَّعَامِ الْمُسَمَّى فَجَاءَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ رَجُلٌ مِنْ عُمُومَتِي فَقَالَ نَهَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ لَنَا نَافِعًا وَطَوَاعِيَةُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ أَنْفَعُ لَنَا نَهَانَا أَنْ نُحَاقِلَ بِالأَرْضِ وَنُكْرِيَهَا بِالثُّلُثِ وَالرُّبُعِ وَالطَّعَامِ الْمُسَمَّى وَأَمَرَ رَبَّ الأَرْضِ أَنْ يَزْرَعَهَا أَوْ يُزْرِعَهَا وَكَرِهَ كِرَاءَهَا وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ. أَيُّوبُ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهُ مِنْ يَعْلَى.
Rafi' bin Khadij Narrated from:
At the time of the Messenger of Allah we used to lease land on the basis of Al-Muhaqalah, so we would lease it in return for one-third or one-quarter of the yield, or a specified amount of food (produce).One day, a man among my paternal uncles came and said 'The Messenger of Allah has forbidden me to do something that was beneficial for us, but obedience to Allah and His Messenger is more beneficial for us. He has forbidden us to lease land on the basis of Al-Muhaqalah and to lease it in return for one-third or one-quarter of the yield, and for a specified amount of food (produce). And he commanded the landowner to cultivate it (himself) or to give it to someone else to cultivate. He did not like leasing it or anything else.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3895In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 39English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3926
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3895
This hadith describes how land was leased for one-third, one-quarter, or a fixed amount of produce. A relative of Rafi' bin Khadij reported that the Messenger of Allah forbade this practice, even though people had found it beneficial. He said that obedience to Allah and His Messenger was more beneficial for them. The landowner was told to cultivate the land or let someone else cultivate it, and the report says that leasing it in the described way was disliked. For readers searching for sharecropping in Islam, the central lesson is tied to these exact payment forms. The hadith also gives a strong moral point: a familiar financial benefit should not be placed above obedience. The explanation should not extend the wording to contracts not mentioned in the narration.
What we learn from this hadith
- Obedience to Allah and His Messenger is better than a familiar material benefit.
- Leasing for one-third or one-quarter of the yield was forbidden in this report.
- A fixed amount of produce was also included in the prohibition.
- The landowner was directed to cultivate the land or let another person cultivate it.
