35b/45: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 3911 — Ibn Umar Confirms the Land Leasing Report
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
Ibn Umar Confirms the Hadith on Leasing Arable Land
Sunan an-Nasai : 3911
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 3911
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بَزِيعٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ زُرَيْعٍ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، كَانَ يُكْرِي مَزَارِعَهُ حَتَّى بَلَغَهُ فِي آخِرِ خِلاَفَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ أَنَّ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ يُخْبِرُ فِيهَا بِنَهْىِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَتَاهُ وَأَنَا مَعَهُ فَسَأَلَهُ فَقَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَنْهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الْمَزَارِعِ فَتَرَكَهَا ابْنُ عُمَرَ بَعْدُ فَكَانَ إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْهَا قَالَ زَعَمَ رَافِعُ بْنُ خَدِيجٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى عَنْهَا. وَافَقَهُ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ وَكَثِيرُ بْنُ فَرْقَدٍ وَجُوَيْرِيَةُ بْنُ أَسْمَاءَ.
Nafi Narrated from:
Ibn 'Umar used to lease out his arable land until he heard at the end of Mu'awiyah's Khilafah, that Rafi' bin Khadij used to narrate, that the Messenger of Allah had forbidden that. He went to him -and I (Nafi') was with him- and asked him (about that). He said: "The Messenger of Allah used to forbid leasing arable land." So Ibn 'Umar stopped (doing that) afterward. When he was asked about it he said: "Rafi' bin Khadij said that the Prophet forbade that."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3911In-book reference : Book 35b, Hadith 55English translation : Vol. 4, Book 35, Hadith 3942
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 3911
This hadith gives a fuller timeline. Nafi' said that Ibn 'Umar continued leasing his farms until near the end of Mu'awiyah’s caliphate. He then learned that Rafi' bin Khadij was reporting a prohibition from the Messenger of Allah. Ibn 'Umar went to Rafi', with Nafi' present, and asked him about it. Rafi' said that the Messenger of Allah used to forbid leasing arable land. Ibn 'Umar then stopped. Later, when people asked him about the matter, he referred them to Rafi’s report. The narration highlights direct confirmation, a change in conduct, and honest attribution. Ibn 'Umar did not present the report as his own memory; he named Rafi' bin Khadij as the person who had conveyed it.
What we learn from this hadith
- Ibn Umar continued the practice until the report reached him.
- He went to Rafi and asked about it directly.
- He stopped leasing his farms after the confirmation.
- When asked later, he attributed the report to Rafi bin Khadij.
