35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3908 — Arable Land Rent and Reserved Crops
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
Arable Land Leasing for Water-Channel Crops and Straw
Sunan an-Nasai : 3908
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3908
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بَزِيعٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي نَافِعٌ، أَنَّ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ، أَخْبَرَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ عُمُومَتَهُ، جَاءُوا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ رَجَعُوا فَأَخْبَرُوا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الْمَزَارِعِ. فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَدْ عَلِمْنَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ كُلُّ صَاحِبَ مَزْرَعَةٍ يُكْرِيهَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى أَنَّ لَهُ مَا عَلَى الرَّبِيعِ السَّاقِي الَّذِي يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ التِّبْنِ لاَ أَدْرِي كَمْ هِيَ. رَوَاهُ ابْنُ عَوْنٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ فَقَالَ عَنْ بَعْضِ عُمُومَتِهِ.
Rafi' bin Khadij Narrated from:
Rafi bin Khadij told Abdullah bin Umar that his paternal uncles went to the Messenger of Allah, then they came back and told them that the Messenger of Allah had forbidden leasing arable land. Abdullah said: "We knew that he owned some arable land that he leased at the time of the Messenger of Allah in return for whatever grew on the banks of the streams of water, and for a certain amount of straw, I do not know how much it was." Ibn Awn reported it from Nafi but he said: "From some of his paternal uncles."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3908In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 52English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3939
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3908
This narration reports that Rafi' bin Khadij told 'Abdullah bin 'Umar that his paternal uncles had gone to the Messenger of Allah and later said that leasing arable land had been forbidden. Ibn 'Umar then recalled the practice known during the Prophet’s time: owners leased farms while keeping what grew near the flowing water channel and also receiving a certain amount of straw. The exact amount of straw was not remembered. The hadith therefore preserves both the reported prohibition and a description of the rental form. The rent was connected to selected produce from fertile areas and an additional quantity of straw. A sound explanation should keep the uncertainty too: the narrator openly says he did not know how much straw was involved.
What we learn from this hadith
- The report connects the prohibition to leasing arable farms.
- The described rent included crops near a flowing water channel.
- A certain amount of straw was also part of the arrangement.
- The narrator honestly states that the amount of straw was not known.
