Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We used to take land by muhaqalah; we would rent out land for a third, a quarter and a specified amount of food, and in those days there was no gold or silver. One day one of my paternal uncles met me and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden us practices that were of benefit to us, but the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger is of greater benefit to us. We used to practise muhaqalah with land and rent it out for a third, a quarter and a specified amount of food; then he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us that, and ordered the owner of the land "to cultivate it himself or have it cultivated", and he disliked renting it out.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب المزارعة / 11715