Ibn 'Umar used to let out his land till it reached him that Rafi' b. Khadij al-Ansari narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade let out land. So 'Abd Allah (b. 'Umar) said: Ibn Khadij, what do you narrate from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about leasing the land? Rafi' replied to 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar: I heard both of my uncles were present in the battle of Badr say, and they narrated it to the members of the family, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade leasing land. 'Abd Allah said: I swear by Allah, I knew that land was leased in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. 'Abd Allah then feared that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ might have created something new in that matter, so he gave up leasing land. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Ayyub, 'Ubaid Allah, Kathir b. Farqad, Malik from Nafi' on the authority of Rafi' from the Prophet ﷺ. It has also been transmitted by al-Auzai' from Hafs b. 'Inan al-Hanafi from Nafi' from Rafi' who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Similarly, it has been transmitted by Zaid b. Abi Unaisah from al-Hakkam from Nafi' from Ibn 'Umar that he went to Rafi' and asked: Have you heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say? He replied: Yes. Similarly, it has also been transmitted by 'Ikrimah b. 'Ammar from Abu al-Najashi, from Rafi' b. Khadij who said: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say. It has also been transmitted by al-Auza'i from Abu al-Najashi from Rafi' b. Khadij from his uncle Zuhair b. Rafi' from the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Dawud said: The name of Abu al-Najashi is 'Ata b. Suhaib.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَنْهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ فَلَقِيَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ خَدِيجٍ مَاذَا تُحَدِّثُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ قَالَ رَافِعٌ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ سَمِعْتُ عَمَّىَّ وَكَانَا قَدْ شَهِدَا بَدْرًا يُحَدِّثَانِ أَهْلَ الدَّارِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّ الأَرْضَ تُكْرَى ثُمَّ خَشِيَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحْدَثَ فِي ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلِمَهُ فَتَرَكَ كِرَاءَ الأَرْضِ  

We used to employ people to till land for a share of it produce. He then maintained that, one of his uncles came to him and said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us from a work which beneficial to us. But obedience to Allah and His Apostle ﷺ is more beneficial to us. We asked : What is that ? He said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If anyone has land, he should cultivate it, or lend it to his brother for cultivation. He should not rent it for a third or a quarter (of the produce) or for specified among of produce.  

كُنَّا نُخَابِرُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ أَنَّ بَعْضَ عُمُومَتِهِ أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ لَنَا نَافِعًا وَطَوَاعِيَةُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ أَنْفَعُ لَنَا وَأَنْفَعُ قَالَ قُلْنَا وَمَا ذَاكَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَلْيَزْرَعْهَا أَوْ فَلْيُزْرِعْهَا أَخَاهُ وَلاَ يُكَارِيهَا بِثُلُثٍ وَلاَ بِرُبُعٍ وَلاَ بِطَعَامٍ مُسَمًّى  

Ya'la b. Hakim wrote to me: I heard Sulaiman b. Yasar narrating the tradition to the same effect as narrated by 'Ubaid Allah and through the same chain.  

سَمِعْتُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ يَسَارٍ بِمَعْنَى إِسْنَادِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ وَحَدِيثِهِ  

AbuRafi' came to us from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us from a work which benefited us; but obedience to Allah and His Apostle ﷺ is more beneficial to us. He forbade that one of us cultivates land except the one which he owns or the land which a man lends him (to cultivate).  

جَاءَنَا أَبُو رَافِعٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ نَهَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ يَرْفَقُ بِنَا وَطَاعَةُ اللَّهِ وَطَاعَةُ رَسُولِهِ أَرْفَقُ بِنَا نَهَانَا أَنْ يَزْرَعَ أَحَدُنَا إِلاَّ أَرْضًا يَمْلِكُ رَقَبَتَهَا أَوْ مَنِيحَةً يَمْنَحُهَا رَجُلٌ  

Rafi' b. Khadij came to us and said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbids you from a work which is beneficial to you ; and obedience to Allah and His Prophet ﷺ is more beneficial to you. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbids you from renting land for share of its produce and he said: If anyone if not in need of his land he should lend it to his brother or leave it. Abu Dawud said: Shu'bah and Mufaddal b. Muhalhal have narrated it from Mansur in similar way. Shu'bah said (in his version): Usaid, nephew of Rafi' b, Khadij.  

إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ أَمْرٍ كَانَ لَكُمْ نَافِعًا وَطَاعَةُ اللَّهِ وَطَاعَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْفَعُ لَكُمْ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَنْهَاكُمْ عَنِ الْحَقْلِ وَقَالَ مَنِ اسْتَغْنَى عَنْ أَرْضِهِ فَلْيَمْنَحْهَا أَخَاهُ أَوْ لِيَدَعْ  

My uncle sent me and his slave to Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab. We said to him, there is something which has reached us about sharecropping. He replied: Ibn Umar did not see any harm in it until a tradition reached him from Rafi' ibn Khadij. He then came to him and Rafi' told him that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Banu Harithah and saw crop in the land of Zuhayr. He said: What an excellent crop of Zuhayr is! They said: It does not belong to Zuhayr. He asked: Is this not the land of Zuhayr? They said: Yes, but the crop belongs to so-and-so. He said: Take your crop and give him the wages. Rafi' said: We took our crop and gave him the wages. Sa'id (ibn al-Musayyab) said: Lend your brother or employ him for dirhams.  

فَقُلْنَا لَهُ شَىْءٌ بَلَغَنَا عَنْكَ فِي الْمُزَارَعَةِ قَالَ كَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ لاَ يَرَى بِهَا بَأْسًا حَتَّى بَلَغَهُ عَنْ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ حَدِيثٌ فَأَتَاهُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَافِعٌ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَتَى بَنِي حَارِثَةَ فَرَأَى زَرْعًا فِي أَرْضِ ظُهَيْرٍ فَقَالَ مَا أَحْسَنَ زَرْعَ ظُهَيْرٍ قَالُوا لَيْسَ لِظُهَيْرٍ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ أَرْضُ ظُهَيْرٍ قَالُوا بَلَى وَلَكِنَّهُ زَرْعُ فُلاَنٍ قَالَ فَخُذُوا زَرْعَكُمْ وَرُدُّوا عَلَيْهِ النَّفَقَةَ قَالَ رَافِعٌ فَأَخَذْنَا زَرْعَنَا وَرَدَدْنَا إِلَيْهِ النَّفَقَةَ قَالَ سَعِيدٌ أَفْقِرْ أَخَاكَ أَوْ أَكْرِهِ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade muhaqalah and muzabanah. Those who cultivate land are three: a man who has (his own) land and he tills it: a man who has been lent land and he tills the one lent to him; a man who employs another man to till land against gold (dinars) or silver (dirhams).  

نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْمُحَاقَلَةِ وَالْمُزَابَنَةِ وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا يَزْرَعُ ثَلاَثَةٌ رَجُلٌ لَهُ أَرْضٌ فَهُوَ يَزْرَعُهَا وَرَجُلٌ مُنِحَ أَرْضًا فَهُوَ يَزْرَعُ مَا مُنِحَ وَرَجُلٌ اسْتَكْرَى أَرْضًا بِذَهَبٍ أَوْ فِضَّةٍ  

I read out (this tradition) to Sa'id b. Ya'qub al-Taliqini, and I said to him: Ibn al-Mubarak transmitted (this tradition) to you from Sa'id Abi Shuja' who said: 'Uthman b. Sahl b. Rafi' b. Khadij narrated it to me saying: I was an orphan being nourished under the guardianship of Rafi' b. Khadij and I performed Hajj with him. My brother 'Imran b. Sahl then came to me and said: We rented out land to so-and-so for two hundred dirhams. He said: Leave it, for the Prophet ﷺ forbade renting land.  

دَعْهُ فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ  

Rafi' had cultivated a land. The Prophet ﷺ passed him when he was watering it. So he asked him: To whom does the crop belong, and to whom does the land belong? He replied: The crop is mine for my seed and labour. The half (of the crop) is mine and the half for so-and-so. He said: You conducted usurious transaction. Return the land to its owner and take your wages and cost.  

أَنَّهُ زَرَعَ أَرْضًا فَمَرَّ بِهِ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَهُوَ يَسْقِيهَا فَسَأَلَهُ لِمَنِ الزَّرْعُ وَلِمَنِ الأَرْضُ فَقَالَ زَرْعِي بِبَذْرِي وَعَمَلِي لِيَ الشَّطْرُ وَلِبَنِي فُلاَنٍ الشَّطْرُ فَقَالَ أَرْبَيْتُمَا فَرُدَّ الأَرْضَ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا وَخُذْ نَفَقَتَكَ