Ibn Majah

(1) Thus, one of the reasons for prohibiting the prevalent sharecropping (batai) of that era was that it led to disputes. And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) strongly disliked quarrels; therefore, if there is a form of sharecropping that does not become a cause of dispute or quarrel, then there is no harm in it, just as sharecropping is practiced nowadays. And this is the correct view.

(2) Imam al-Nasa’i (rahimahullah) has transmitted the narration of Rafi‘ ibn Khadij (radi Allahu anhu) regarding sharecropping in detail with various chains of transmission so that all particulars may become known. From reading all these narrations, the same conclusion is reached as is at the beginning of the Book of al-Muzara‘ah, and it is also mentioned separately in hadiths: 3892, 3893, 3898, 3904, 3921, 3925, 3933, and 3943. Although some brief hadiths may cause misunderstanding, it is an established principle that a legal verdict (fatwa) cannot be based on just one or two narrations; rather, all the hadiths related to the issue must be considered together to derive a conclusion, and then, in light of that, the various narrations should be reconciled.

(3) From the previous detailed narrations, it is also understood that the narration of Rafi‘ ibn Khadij (radi Allahu anhu), which is central to this chapter, contains significant irregularity (idtirab)—both in terms of chain of transmission and in text—but reconciliation is possible; therefore, the narration is essentially authentic. Irregularity only affects the authenticity of a narration when reconciliation is not possible. The aforementioned documentation applies in the case where the seed and expenses are agreed to be borne by the landowner, and a 1:3 ratio is fixed in the produce, but it is not necessary that every sharecropping arrangement be like this. It is also possible that both the seed and expenses are shared, and the share is half and half, as is customary among us. Or, all the seed and expenses may be borne by the sharecropper (muzari‘), and his share in the produce may be greater than that of the landowner. In short, whatever conditions they mutually agree upon will be valid, provided that there is no injustice or coercion upon either party.

Fiqh al-Hadith
↰ Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit radi Allahu anhu thought that Sayyiduna Rafi‘ ibn Khadij radi Allahu anhu considered the prohibition in the hadith regarding renting out land to be absolute, and that in his view, every kind of contract (mu‘amalah) of this nature was impermissible. For this reason, after hearing the hadith from him, Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhuma abandoned such contracts. However, as we have mentioned earlier, Sayyiduna Rafi‘ ibn Khadij radi Allahu anhu also considered the prohibition in this hadith to be specific to cases involving injustice and excess. He too considered it permissible to lease land in exchange for cash payment. It is thus clear that, according to Sayyiduna Zayd ibn Thabit radi Allahu anhu as well, this hadith is not absolute, and not every kind of contract of this nature is impermissible.

Benefits and Issues:
It is a fact that concealment, ambiguity, deception, or the presence of harm in any matter creates dispute.
Therefore, in order to avoid this, in sharecropping (muzara‘ah), the transaction should be open, transparent, clear, and in accordance with the conditions of the Shari‘ah.
Otherwise, it is better not to enter into such a transaction at all.