Come along with me to Ibn Rafi b. Khadij in order to listen from him the hadith transmitted on the authority of his father (pertaining to the renting of land) from Allah's Apostle ﷺ. He (Tawus) scolded him and said: By Allah, it I were to know that Messenger of Allah ﷺ had forbidden it, I would have never done it. But it has been narrated to me by one who has better knowledge of it amongst them (and he meant Ibn 'Abbas) that Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: It is better if a person lends, his land to his brother (for cultivation) than that he gets recognised rent on it. (Using translation from Muslim 1550a)   

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ فَانْتَهَرَهُ وَقَالَ إِنِّي وَاللهِ لَوْ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْهُ مَا فَعَلْتُهُ وَلَكِنْ حَدَّثَنِي مَنْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَأَنْ يَمْنَحَ الرَّجُلُ أَخَاهُ أَرْضَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَيْهَا خَرْجًا مَعْلُومًا  

[Machine] I heard Rafa' bin Khadeej say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade planting multiple crops together (Mixed farming), and Amr bin Dinar reported from Taous, who reported from Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet ﷺ did not forbid mixed farming and said, "It is better for one of you to give his brother his land as a gift, rather than taking a known portion from it."  

سَمِعْتُ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ يَقُولُ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَنِ الْمُزَارَعَةِ وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ طَاوُسٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنِ الْمُزَارَعَةِ وَقَالَ لَأَنْ يَمْنَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ أَرْضَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ شَيْئًا مَعْلُومًا  

I said to Tawus, "I wish you would give up Mukhabara (Sharecropping), for the people say that the Prophet forbade it." On that Tawus replied, "O ʿAmr! I give the land to sharecroppers and help them. No doubt; the most learned man, namely Ibn ʿAbbas told me that the Prophet ﷺ had not forbidden it but said, 'It is more beneficial for one to give his land free to one's brother than to charge him a fixed rental." (Using translation from Bukhārī 2330)   

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْهُ قَالَ أَيْ عَمْرُو إِنِّي أُعْطِيهِمْ وَأُعِينُهُمْ وَإِنَّ أَعْلَمَهُمْ أَخْبَرَنِي يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهُ وَلَكِنْ قَالَ أَنْ يَمْنَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَيْهَا خَرْجًا مَعْلُومًا  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Surely, whoever gives it to his brother and does not claim its return."  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَلَا مَنَحَهَا أَخَاهُ وَلَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْ كِرَائِهَا  

[Machine] "That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not forbid farming, but he commanded the people to help each other."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لَمْ يُحَرِّمِ الْمُزَارَعَةَ وَلَكِنْ أَمَرَ أَنْ يَرْفُقَ النَّاسُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضِهِمْ  

[Machine] Allah said to Raafidh ibn Khadeej, "I swear by Allah, I know more about this matter than he does. Only two men from the Ansar came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. They had been in a fight, so the Messenger of Allah said, 'If this is your case, do not cultivate the crops.' When he heard him say, 'Do not cultivate the crops,' Shaykh Zayd ibn Thabit and Ibn Abbas considered it as if they denied the prohibition. They knew better, for the prohibition was concerning renting the irrigated fields for gold and silver, and for a price that was not misleading. Some narrators have restricted Rafi' ibn Khadeej's narrations to the matters from which the prohibition was issued and clarified, and it is what is feared to harm the crops. That was misleading in terms of compensation, which would lead to the invalidation of the contract. However, if Ibn Abbas intended by what he did not prohibit in cultivation, we have narrated from those who heard his prohibition, so the ruling is his, not theirs. We have also narrated from Zayd ibn Thabit what aligns with the narration of Rafi' ibn Khadeej and others, which indicates that their denial was not of what they confirmed. Allah knows best. Among the scholars are those who reported the prohibition of what would occur with invalid conditions, such as the condition of the Jadaawil and al-Madhiyaanat, which are waterways. This is what used to be conditioned upon the farmer, that he cultivate them using these waterways, specifically for the owner of the wealth, or the condition of Qasara, which is what remains of the grain in the stack after it has been threshed. It is called Qasara and similar conditions. Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Ubayd, Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah, and others from the people of hadith held the view that if the conditions were invalid, then cultivation was permissible. Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan from the people of opinion also held this view. The hadiths that have passed regarding the dealings of the Prophet ﷺ with the people of Khaybar indicate their permissibility, given the condition of what would come out of it in terms of fruits or crops. Ahmad ibn Hanbal weakened the hadith of Rafi' ibn Khadeej and said, 'It has many variations, and what we have mentioned about the differences in its chain and text.'"  

اللهُ لِرَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ أَنَا وَاللهِ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ بِالْحَدِيثِ مِنْهُ إِنَّمَا أَتَى رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَدِ اقْتَتَلَا فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا شَأْنَكُمْ فَلَا تُكْرُوا الْمَزَارِعَ فَسَمِعَ قَوْلَهُ لَا تُكْرُوا الْمَزَارِعَ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ وَابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ كَأَنَّهُمَا أَنْكَرَا وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ إِطْلَاقَ النَّهْيِ عَنْ كِرَاءِ الْمَزَارِعِ وَعَنَى ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بِمَا لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كِرَاءَهَا بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَبِمَا لَا غَرَرَ فِيهِ وَقَدْ قَيَّدَ بَعْضُ الرُّوَاةِ عَنْ رَافِعٍ الْأَنْوَاعَ الَّتِي وَقَعَ النَّهْيُ عَنْهَا وَبَيَّنَ عِلَّةَ النَّهْيِ وَهِيَ مَا يُخْشَى عَلَى الزَّرْعِ مِنَ الْهَلَاكِ وَذَلِكَ غَرَرٌ فِي الْعِوَضِ يُوجِبُ فَسَادَ الْعَقْدِ وَإِنْ كَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ عَنَى بِمَا لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهُ كِرَاءَهَا بِبَعْضِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا فَقَدْ رُوِّينَا عَمَّنْ سَمِعَ نَهْيَهُ عَنْهُ فَالْحُكْمُ لَهُ دُونَهُ وَقَدْ رُوِّينَا عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ مَا يُوَافِقُ رِوَايَةَ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ وَغَيْرِهِ فَدَلَّ أَنَّ مَا أَنْكَرَهُ غَيْرُ مَا أَثْبَتَهُ وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ وَمِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ حَمَلَ أَخْبَارَ النَّهْيِ عَلَى مَا لَوْ وَقَعَتْ بِشُرُوطٍ فَاسِدَةٍ نَحْوَ شَرْطِ الْجَدَاوِلِ وَالْمَاذِيَانَاتِ وَهِيَ الْأَنْهَارُ وَهِيَ مَا كَانَ يُشْتَرَطُ عَلَى الزَّارِعِ أَنْ يَزْرَعَهُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأَنْهَارِ خَاصَّةً لِرَبِّ الْمَالِ وَنَحْوُ شَرْطِ الْقُصَارَةِ وَهِيَ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الْحَبِّ فِي السُّنْبُلِ بَعْدَمَا يُدَاسُ وَيُقَالُ الْقُصَرَّى وَنَحْوُ شَرْطِ مَا يَسْقِي الرَّبِيعُ وَهُوَ النَّهَرُ الصَّغِيرُ مِثْلُ الْجَدْوَلِ وَالسَّرِيِّ وَنَحْوِهِ وَجَمْعُهُ أَرْبِعَاءُ كَمَا قَالُوا فَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَهَا شُرُوطًا شَرَطَهَا رَبُّ الْمَالِ لِنَفْسِهِ خَاصَّةً سِوَى الشَّرْطِ عَلَى النِّصْفِ وَالرُّبُعِ وَالثُّلُثِ فَيَرَى أَنَّ نَهْيَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَنِ الْمُزَارَعَةِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ لِهَذِهِ الشُّرُوطِ؛ لِأَنَّهَا مَجْهُولَةٌ فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْحِصَصُ مَعْلُومَةً نَحْوَ النِّصْفِ وَالثُّلُثِ وَالرُّبُعِ وَكَانَتِ الشُّرُوطُ الْفَاسِدَةُ مَعْدُومَةً كَانَتِ الْمُزَارَعَةُ جَائِزَةً وَإِلَى هَذِهِ ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ وَأَبُو عُبَيْدٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ خُزَيْمَةَ وَغَيْرُهُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَإِلَيْهِ ذَهَبَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الرَّأْيِ وَالْأَحَادِيثُ الَّتِي مَضَتْ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَهْلَ خَيْبَرَ بِشَرْطِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا مِنْ ثَمَرٍ أَوْ زَرْعٍ دَلِيلٌ لَهُمْ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ وَضَعَّفَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ حَدِيثَ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ وَقَالَ هُوَ كَثِيرُ الْأَلْوَانِ يُرِيدُ مَا أَشَرْنَا إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الِاخْتِلَافِ عَلَيْهِ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ وَمَتْنِهِ  

[Machine] "That the people of the earth used to give their land as a promise to the Prophet ﷺ, and the owner of the land would stipulate for me the water sources and what the spring would irrigate, and he would stipulate a known portion from the greenery," Ibn Umar said, "and he thought that the prohibition was because of what they used to stipulate."  

أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْأَرْضِ قَدْ كَانُوا يُعْطُونَ أَرَضِيهِمْ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَيَشْتَرِطُ صَاحِبُ الْأَرْضِ لِيَ الْمَاذِيَانَاتِ وَمَا يَسْقِي الرَّبِيعُ وَيَشْتَرِطُ مِنَ الْجَرِينِ نَصِيبًا مَعْلُومًا قَالَ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَظُنُّ أَنَّ النَّهْيَ لِمَا كَانُوا يَشْتَرِطُونَ  

[Machine] About the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in relation to farming, it was reported that one of them used to insist on three measures of water, "al-Qusarah" (a water irrigation method), and what the spring water irrigated. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ forbade that. The scholar said, "Whoever claims that the reports in which the prohibition is mentioned regarding renting for half, a third, or a quarter, is only for the conditions that were attached to it that are incorrect. Some narrators have omitted mentioning them, but others have mentioned them. The prohibition is specifically related to those conditions, and Allah knows best."  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِي الْمُزَارَعَةِ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ كَانَ يَشْتَرِطُ ثَلَاثَةَ جَدَاوِلَ وَالْقُصَارَةَ وَمَا سَقَى الرَّبِيعُ فَنَهَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ وَمَنْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى هَذَا زَعَمَ أَنَّ الْأَخْبَارَ الَّتِي وَرَدَ النَّهْيُ فِيهَا عَنْ كِرَائِهَا بِالنِّصْفِ أَوِ الثُّلُثِ أَوِ الرُّبُعِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ لِمَا كَانُوا يُلْحِقُونَ بِهِ مِنَ الشُّرُوطِ الْفَاسِدَةِ فَقَصَرَ بَعْضُ الرُّوَاةِ بِذِكْرِهَا وَقَدْ ذَكَرَهَا بَعْضُهُمْ وَالنَّهْيُ يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهَا دُونَ غَيْرِهَا وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said during his illness in which he passed away, "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for taking the graves of their Prophets as places of worship. There will not be any religion left in the land of Arabia. When Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) assumed the caliphate, he expelled the people of Najran to al-Bahrain, and he bought their land and possessions. He also expelled the people of Fadak, Tayma, and Khaybar, and he appointed Yalaa ibn Munyah as their administrator. He gave a share to the people of Banu Bayada, while wheat, cows, and iron were given by Umar himself. Umar took two-thirds and they took one-third. If any of them owned anything, they would take half and Umar would take the other half. Umar distributed the date palms and grapes in a way that he took two-thirds and they took one-third. Al-Bukhari mentioned this in the chapter of distribution, and it is a mutawatir narration. Al-Bukhari said in the chapter, "Qays ibn Muslim reported from Abu Ja'far that the people of Medina who were from the family of Hijra would only farm on one-third and one-fourth of the land." Al-Bukhari said, "Ali, Saad ibn Malik, Ibn Mas'ud, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, Urwa, the family of Abu Bakr, the family of Umar, the family of Ali, Ibn Sireen, and Abdul Rahman ibn Aswad. I used to share with Abdul Rahman ibn Yazid in farming."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ فِي مَرَضِهِ الَّذِي مَاتَ فِيهِ قَاتَلَ اللهُ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى؛ اتَّخَذُوا قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ لَا يَبْقَيَنَّ دِينَانِ بِأَرْضِ الْعَرَبِ فَلَمَّا اسْتُخْلِفَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ أَجْلَى أَهْلَ نَجْرَانَ إِلَى الْبَحْرَانِيَّةِ وَاشْتَرَى عُقُرَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ وَأَجْلَى أَهْلَ فَدَكٍ وَتَيْمَاءَ وَأَهْلَ خَيْبَرَ وَاسْتَعْمَلَ يَعْلَى بْنَ مُنْيَةَ فَأَعْطَى الْبَيَاضَ عَلَى أَنْ كَانَ الْبَذْرُ وَالْبَقَرُ وَالْحَدِيدُ مِنْ عُمَرَ فَلِعُمَرَ الثُّلُثَانِ وَلَهُمُ الثُّلُثُ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ فَلَهُمُ الشَّطْرُ وَأَعْطَى النَّخْلَ وَالْعِنَبَ عَلَى أَنَّ لِعُمَرَ الثُّلُثَيْنِ وَلَهُمُ الثُّلُثَ وَأَشَارَ الْبُخَارِيُّ إِلَيْهِ فِي تَرْجَمَةِ الْبَابِ وَهُوَ مُرْسَلٌ قَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي تَرْجَمَةِ الْبَابِ وَقَالَ قَيْسُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مَا بِالْمَدِينَةِ أَهْلُ بَيْتِ هِجْرَةٍ إِلَّا يَزْرَعُونَ عَلَى الثُّلُثِ وَالرُّبُعِ قَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ وَزَارَعَ عَلِيٌّ وَسَعْدُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَعُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَالْقَاسِمُ وَعُرْوَةُ وَآلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَآلُ عُمَرَ وَآلُ عَلِيٍّ وَابْنُ سِيرِينَ وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ الْأَسْوَدِ كُنْتُ أُشَارِكُ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ يَزِيدَ فِي الزَّرْعِ  

[Machine] That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the leasing of land. Therefore, this is from the hadith of Rafa'ah ibn Khadij. Abdullah ibn Umar used to leave the leasing of his land and did not lease it for gold or silver or anything. He took that from the fatwa of Rafa'ah. Some people followed it while others abandoned it. As for the transaction on a divided or two-thirds basis or whatever is agreed upon, we have received that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ treated the Jews of Khaybar in that manner when Allah granted victory to the Muslims over them. That was the best type of land and the most permissible. The sheikh said, "Whoever says that the first explanation is sufficient, has answered this and claims that what is confirmed from the Prophet ﷺ is not a proof compared to anyone else's statement. The hadith of Rafa'ah is an established hadith and it contains evidence of his prohibition of transacting on the condition that it includes some of what emerges from it except that it applies to some of its generality at one time and then abrogated it at another time and then scrutinized it in one narration and shortened it in another and followed it in his narration Jabir ibn Abdullah and others as we mentioned it earlier. And the hadith of the transaction on a divided basis of what emerges from Khaybar from its fruits or crops is also a reliable narration when the cultivation is done between the trunks of palm trees. And in that is the combination of the reports that mention it. And with Allah is success, and Allah knows best.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ كِرَاءِ الْأَرْضِ فَلِذَلِكَ مِنْ حَدِيثِ رَافِعِ بْنِ خَدِيجٍ كَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ يَتْرُكُ كِرَاءَ أَرْضِهِ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُكْرِيهَا لَا بِذَهَبٍ وَلَا بِوَرِقٍ وَلَا بِشَيْءٍ فَأَخَذَ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ فُتْيَا رَافِعٍ أُنَاسٌ وَتَرَكَهُ آخَرُونَ فَأَمَّا الْمُعَامَلَةُ عَلَى الشَّطْرِ أَوِ الثُّلُثَيْنِ أَوْ مَا اصْطَلَحُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ بَلَغَنَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَدْ كَانَ عَامَلَ يَهُودَ خَيْبَرَ حِينَ أَفَاءَ اللهُ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ عَلَى الشَّطْرِ وَذَلِكَ أَطْيَبُ أَمْرِ الْأَرْضِ وَأَحَلُّهُ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ وَمَنْ قَالَ بِالْأَوَّلِ أَجَابَ عَنْ هَذَا وَزَعَمَ أَنَّ مَا ثَبَتَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَلَا حُجَّةَ فِي قَوْلِ أَحَدٍ دُونَهُ وَحَدِيثُ رَافِعٍ حَدِيثٌ ثَابِتٌ وَفِيهِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى نَهْيِهِ عَنِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ عَلَيْهَا بِبَعْضِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَنَّهُ أَسْنَدَهُ عَنْ بَعْضِ عُمُومَتِهِ مَرَّةً وَأَرْسَلَهُ أُخْرَى وَاسْتَقْصَى فِي رِوَايَتِهِ مَرَّةً وَاخْتَصَرَهَا أُخْرَى وَتَابَعَهُ عَلَى رِوَايَتِهِ جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ وَغَيْرُهُ كَمَا قَدَّمْنَا ذِكْرَهُ وَحَدِيثُ الْمُعَامَلَةِ بِشَطْرِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خَيْبَرَ مِنْ ثَمَرٍ أَوْ زَرْعٍ مَقُولٌ بِهِ إِذَا كَانَ الزَّرْعُ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيِ النَّخْلِ وَفِي ذَلِكَ جَمْعٌ بَيْنَ الْأَخْبَارِ الْوَارِدَةِ فِيهِ وَبِاللهِ التَّوْفِيقُ وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ