Question:
Assalamu Alaikum. What is the ruling for someone who owns a piece of agricultural land but does not cultivate it? Our agricultural system involves either leasing land from the ruling state or owning it. The question is: if the owner provides water and seeds and hires someone to tend the land—plowing, planting, and harvesting—in exchange for a percentage of the total crop, such as a quarter, a third, or a half; what is the ruling? Please answer, and may your reward be Paradise and may your eyes be delighted with the establishment of the Khilafah State.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Your question is about al-muzara’ah...
My brother, al-muzara’ah is "leasing land for agriculture," which means leasing your land that is free of trees to another person to cultivate and manage in exchange for a specific amount or a portion of the crop. The jurists (fuqaha) differ on the ruling of this matter; some permit it under certain conditions, and others do not. The weightier opinion (ar-rajih) for us, according to the evidences, is that it is not valid in any case, whether the land is kharajiyah or ushriyah.
Among these evidences:
Rafi’ bin Khadij reported:
كُنَّا نُخَابِرُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَذَكَرَ أَنَّ بَعْضَ عُمُومَتِهِ أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ لَنَا نَافِعاً، وَطَوَاعِيَةُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْفَعُ لَنَا وَأَنْفَعُ. قَالَ: قُلْنَا: وَمَا ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا أَوْ لِيُزْرِعْهَا أَخَاهُ، وَلا يُكَارِيهَا بِثُلُثٍ وَلا بِرُبُعٍ وَلا بِطَعَامٍ مُسَمًّى
"We used to practice al-mukhabarah during the time of the Messenger of Allah (saw). He mentioned that one of his uncles came to him and said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade us from a matter that was beneficial to us, but obedience to the Messenger of Allah (saw) is more beneficial for us. He said: We asked: What is that? He said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'Whoever has land should cultivate it or let his brother cultivate it, and he should not lease it for a third, a fourth, or a specified amount of food.'" (Reported by Abu Dawud)
On the authority of Ibn Umar, who said:
مَا كُنَّا نَرَى بِالْمُزَارَعَةِ بَأْساً حَتَّى سَمِعْنَا رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ يَقُولُ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْهَا
"We did not see any harm in al-muzara’ah until we heard Rafi’ bin Khadij saying: The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade it." (Reported by Ibn Qudamah in Al-Mughni, and narrated by Muslim and Ash-Shafi’i with a slight difference)
Jabir said:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ الْمُخَابَرَةِ
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade al-mukhabarah." (Reported by Muslim on the authority of Jabir). Al-mukhabarah means al-muzara'ah.
Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Jabir, who said: They used to cultivate the land for a third, a fourth, or a half, so the Prophet (saw) said:
مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا أَوْ لِيَمْنَحْهَا، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ فَلْيُمْسِكْ أَرْضَهُ
"Whoever has land should cultivate it or grant it [to someone else to cultivate for free], and if he does not do so, then let him keep his land."
Abu Dawud narrated on the authority of Zaid bin Thabit:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ الْمُخَابَرَةِ، قُلْتُ: وَمَا الْمُخَابَرَةُ؟ قَالَ: أَنْ تَأْخُذَ الأَرْضَ بِنِصْفٍ أَوْ ثُلُثٍ أَوْ رُبْعٍ
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade al-mukhabarah. I asked: What is al-mukhabarah? He said: To take the land for a half, a third, or a fourth [of the crop]."
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri reported:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ الْمُحَاقَلَةِ
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade al-muhaqalah." (Reported by An-Nasa’i and Muslim). Al-muhaqalah means leasing the land for wheat.
In Sunan An-Nasa’i, on the authority of Usaid bin Zhuhair:
نَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ، قُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولُ اللهِ، إِذًا نُكْرِيهَا بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ الْحَبِّ، قَالَ: لا، قَالَ: وَكُنَّا نُكْرِيهَا بِالتِّبْنِ، فَقَالَ: لا، وَكُنَّا نُكْرِيهَا عَلَى الرَّبِيعِ، قَالَ: لا، ازْرَعْهَا أَوْ امْنَحْهَا أَخَاكَ
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade the leasing of land. We said: O Messenger of Allah, then we shall lease it for some grain. He said: No. He said: We used to lease it for straw. He said: No. And we used to lease it for the rabi’. He said: No. Cultivate it or grant it to your brother." The rabi’ refers to the small river, i.e., the valley; meaning we used to lease it for the cultivation of the portion located by the rabi’, i.e., by the side of the water.
This is what we consider weightier (narajjihuhu) and what we adopt. We say "what we consider weightier" because there are jurists who permit it under certain conditions based on the evidences they use as proof...
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
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