Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2327
sahih

Narrated Rafi` bin Khadij:

We worked on farms more than anybody else in Medina. We used to rent the land at the yield of specific delimited portion of it to be given to the landlord. Sometimes the vegetation of that portion was affected by blights etc., while the rest remained safe and vice versa, so the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade this practice. At that time gold or silver were not used (for renting the land). If they provided the seeds, they would get so-and-so much.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ بْنِ قَيْسٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، سَمِعَ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ، قَالَ كُنَّا أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ مُزْدَرَعًا، كُنَّا نُكْرِي الأَرْضَ بِالنَّاحِيَةِ مِنْهَا مُسَمًّى لِسَيِّدِ الأَرْضِ، قَالَ فَمِمَّا يُصَابُ ذَلِكَ وَتَسْلَمُ الأَرْضُ، وَمِمَّا يُصَابُ الأَرْضُ وَيَسْلَمُ ذَلِكَ، فَنُهِينَا، وَأَمَّا الذَّهَبُ وَالْوَرِقُ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَوْمَئِذٍ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 41, Hadith 8
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 39, Hadith 520 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Islam regulates the interactions and transactions between people, and ensures that they are based on the principles of cooperation, (fostering) rapport, affection, love, and avoiding conflict, discord, and deceit. In this hadeeth, Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej related that they had more agricultural lands than all the people in Al-Madeenah, and used to rent out the lands to farmers to cultivate and look after them in return for a specified portion of the farm having its yield payable to the landlord,while the farmers took the remaining yield. Sometimes the yield of the farmer’s portion was affected by blights etc., and accordingly went bad and spoiled, while the rest remained safe, or vice versa. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ forbade this practice, given the Gharar (i.e., risk and uncertainty) and harm it incurs on one party. One party would gain profits and the other would incur loss, and this constitutes unlawfully devouring the wealth of one’s fellow Muslim. He added: “At that time, gold or silver were not used (for renting lands),” meaning that they were not acceptable as payments in lease agreements. It does not suggest that gold and silver were not used as currency. This hadeeth indicates that the business transaction that the Prophet ﷺ forbade was the unjust Muzaara‘ah transaction which was evidently corrupt, warranting forbidding it. However, if there is a guarantee for the capital in the Muzaara‘ah transaction, there is no harm in that. It is noteworthy that this does not contradict the fact the Prophet ﷺ concluded an agreement with the Jews of Khaybar to cultivate the lands in return for half the yield,while the other half would be given to the Prophet ﷺ. This agreement remained in force until the death of the Prophet ﷺ, and continued to be in force during the reigns of the rightly guided Caliphs. Muzaara‘ah transactions may be concluded in return for a share of the yield, rather than renting out one’s land for cultivation in return for the yield of a specific portion of the farm. .
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