I said to Tawus: “O Abu 'Abdur-Rahman, why do you not give up this Mukhabarah because they claim that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade it.” He said: “O 'Amr, I help them by taking their land and cultivating it, and giving them something in return, and Muʿadh bin Jabal allowed people here to do that. The most knowledgeable of them - meaning IbnʿAbbas - told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not forbid it, rather he said: 'For one you to give (land) to his brother is better than if he were to take a set amount in rent for it.'”  

قُلْتُ لِطَاوُسٍ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَوْ تَرَكْتَ هَذِهِ الْمُخَابَرَةَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْهُ فَقَالَ أَىْ عَمْرُو إِنِّي أُعِينُهُمْ وَأُعْطِيهِمْ وَإِنَّ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ أَخَذَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا عِنْدَنَا وَإِنَّ أَعْلَمَهُمْ يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يَنْهَ عَنْهَا وَلَكِنْ قَالَ لأَنْ يَمْنَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ عَلَيْهَا أَجْرًا مَعْلُومًا  

Muʿadh bin Jabl leased some land during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmah, in return for one third or one fourth (of the yield), and he was still doing that until this day of yours.  

أَنَّ مُعَاذَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ أَكْرَى الأَرْضَ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ عَلَى الثُّلُثِ وَالرُّبُعِ فَهُوَ يَعْمَلُ بِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِكَ هَذَا  

“For one of you to give (land) to his brother is better for him than if he were to take a set amount in rent for it.”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لأَنْ يَمْنَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ الأَرْضَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ لَهَا خَرَاجًا مَعْلُومًا