35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3901 — Permissible Rent for Uncultivated 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
Permissible Land Rent in Islam: Gold and Silver Payment
Sunan an-Nasai : 3901
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3901
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ وَكِيعٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ بْنِ قَيْسٍ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ الْبَيْضَاءِ، بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ فَقَالَ حَلاَلٌ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ فَرْضُ الأَرْضِ. رَوَاهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ بْنِ قَيْسٍ وَرَفَعَهُ كَمَا رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ.
Hanzalah bin Qais Narrated from:
I asked Rafi' bin Khadij about leasing uncultivated land in return for gold and silver. He said: '(It is) permissible and there is nothing wrong with that. That is the due of the land.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3901In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 45English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3932
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3901
This narration focuses on leasing uncultivated land for gold or silver. Hanzalah bin Qais asked Rafi' bin Khadij directly about that kind of agreement. Rafi' replied that it was permissible and that there was nothing wrong with it. He described the payment as the due of the land. The hadith therefore centers on a known form of rent rather than a share tied to whatever the field may later produce. For readers searching for land rent in Islam, the safest summary is simple: this report approves leasing the land for gold or silver. It does not discuss every possible rental condition, nor does it give details about duration, amount, or other contract terms, so those points should not be added to its meaning.
What we learn from this hadith
- Leasing uncultivated land for gold or silver is allowed in this report.
- The rent is described as the land’s due.
- A direct question can help separate one contract form from another.
- The narration should not be stretched to cover terms it does not mention.
