Hadith Reference:
عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ قَالَ...
Narrated by Rafi‘ ibn Khadij (RA):
“We, the Ansar, had many fields and used to lease land on the condition that one part of the yield would belong to us and another part to the tenant. Sometimes, one part would yield while the other wouldn’t. The Prophet ﷺ forbade us from this kind of lease. However, he did not prohibit leasing in exchange for silver (or money).”
[Sahih al-Bukhari: 2327; Sahih Muslim: 1547]
The Prophet ﷺ forbade this form of rental because:
This Hadith highlights the importance of fairness and transparency in agricultural contracts. It permits rental agreements based on fixed compensation, while condemning those involving uncertain or speculative yields.
This content is derived from the Urdu commentary on ‘Umdat al-Aḥkām min Kalām Khayr al-Anām, translated by Hafiz Faizullah Nasir.
عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ قَالَ...
Narrated by Rafi‘ ibn Khadij (RA):
“We, the Ansar, had many fields and used to lease land on the condition that one part of the yield would belong to us and another part to the tenant. Sometimes, one part would yield while the other wouldn’t. The Prophet ﷺ forbade us from this kind of lease. However, he did not prohibit leasing in exchange for silver (or money).”
[Sahih al-Bukhari: 2327; Sahih Muslim: 1547]
✿ Explanation of Terminology:
- نُكْرِي (Nukri): We used to lease — a verb referring to rental or tenancy contracts.
- حَقْلًا (Haqlan): Cultivated or agricultural land.
- الْمَاذِيَانَات (al-Mādhiyānāt): Areas beside large canals where crops grow.
- أَقْبَالِ الْجَدَاوِل (Aqbāl al-Jadāwil): Edges of small streams or irrigation ditches.
✿ Explanation of the Hadith:
This narration illustrates a prohibited form of leasing agricultural land, where:- Landowners would reserve the most fertile part of the land for themselves.
- The tenant would cultivate the land, and the produce would be divided unequally or unfairly.
- This often resulted in risk and potential loss for one party, while the other might always gain.
The Prophet ﷺ forbade this form of rental because:
- It lacked fairness,
- It involved uncertain outcomes,
- And it contradicted the objectives of Islamic economic justice.
✿ Scholarly Interpretation:
Rafi‘ ibn Khadij (RA), in a clarification to Hanẓalah ibn Qays, stated:- There is no harm in leasing land for a known and guaranteed price.
- What was prohibited during the Prophet’s time was giving land for lease based on uncertain conditions, such as only receiving what grows on the edges of irrigation channels, which may or may not produce crops.
This Hadith highlights the importance of fairness and transparency in agricultural contracts. It permits rental agreements based on fixed compensation, while condemning those involving uncertain or speculative yields.
This content is derived from the Urdu commentary on ‘Umdat al-Aḥkām min Kalām Khayr al-Anām, translated by Hafiz Faizullah Nasir.