Chapter: Muzara'ah (Sharecropping)
888- Issue: He said: "Sharecropping is permissible for a portion of what is produced from the land."
The meaning of muzara'ah is: handing over land to someone who will cultivate it and work upon it, with the crop being shared between them. This is permissible according to many of the scholars. Al-Bukhari said: Abu Ja'far said: "There is no family in Medina that does not cultivate [land] for a third or a fourth [of the crop]." 'Ali, Sa'd, Ibn Mas'ud, 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, al-Qasim, 'Urwah, the family of Abu Bakr, the family of 'Ali, and Ibn Sirin all practiced sharecropping. Among those who held this view were Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, Tawus, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, Musa ibn Talhah, al-Zuhri, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla and his son, Abu Yusuf, and Muhammad. It is also narrated from Mu'adh, al-Hasan, and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid. Al-Bukhari said: 'Umar would transact with people on the basis that if 'Umar provided the seed from his own possession, he would have half, and if they brought the seed, they would have such-and-such. 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, al-Nakha'i, and Abu Hanifah disliked it. It is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that he held both positions. Al-Shafi'i permitted it for land located among palm trees if the open space of the land was less [in proportion], and if it was more, there are two views. He forbade it for bare land because of what Rafi' ibn Khadij narrated, saying: "We used to engage in mukhabarah (sharecropping) during the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)." [He then mentioned that some of his paternal uncles came to him and said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) prohibited] a matter that was beneficial to us, yet obedience to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is more beneficial." He said: We asked, "What is that?" He said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
(*) This heading does not appear in the original manuscript. (1) Omitted from the original. (2) In the chapter on sharecropping for a portion (al-muzara'ah bil-shatr), from the Book of Agriculture (Kitab al-Harth), Sahih al-Bukhari 3/137. (3) Musa ibn Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah al-Taymi; he was called "the Mahdi" in his time. He died in the year 103 AH. Al-'Ibar 1/126. (4) Omitted from: B. A copying error.
بابُ المُزَارَعةِ *
٨٨٨ - مسألة؛ قال: (وتَجُوزُ الْمُزَارَعةُ بِبَعْضِ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنَ (١) الْأَرْضِ)
مَعْنَى المُزَارَعةِ: دَفْعُ الأرْضِ إلى مَن يَزْرَعُها ويَعْمَلُ عليها، والزَّرْعُ بينهما. وهى جائِزَةٌ في قولِ كَثِيرٍ من أهْلِ العِلْمِ، قال البُخَارِىُّ (٢): قال أبو جعفرٍ: ما بالمَدِينَةِ أهْلُ بَيْتٍ إلَّا ويَزْرَعُونَ على الثُّلُثِ والرُّبْعِ، وزَارَعَ علِىٌّ وسَعْدٌ، وابنُ مسعودٍ، وعمرُ بن عبد العَزِيزِ، والقاسِمُ، وعُرْوَةُ، وآلُ أبى بَكْرٍ، وآلُ عَلِىٍّ، وابنُ سِيرِينَ. وممَّن رَأَى ذلك سَعِيدُ بن المُسَيَّبِ، وطَاوُسٌ، وعبدُ الرحمنِ بن الأسْوَدِ، وموسى بن طَلْحَةَ (٣)، والزُّهْرِيُّ، وعبدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بن أبي لَيْلَى، وابْنُه، وأبو يوسفَ، ومحمدٌ. ورُوِىَ ذلك عن مُعَاذٍ، والحَسَنِ، وعبدِ الرَّحْمنِ بن يَزِيدَ. قال البُخَارِيُّ (٢): وعامَلَ عمرُ الناسَ على أنَّه إن جاءَ عُمَرُ بالبَذْرِ من عندِه، فلَه الشَّطْرُ، وإن جاءُوا بالبَذْرِ، فلهم كذا. وكَرِهَها عِكْرِمَةُ، ومجاهِدٌ، والنَّخَعِىُّ، وأبو حنيفةَ. ورُوِى عن ابنِ عَبَّاسٍ الأمْرانِ جَمِيعًا. وأجَازَها الشافِعِىُّ في الأرْضِ بين النَّخِيلِ، إذا كان بَيَاضُ الأرْضِ أقَلَّ، فإن كان أكْثَرَ فعلى وَجْهَيْنِ. ومَنَعَها في الأرْضِ البَيْضَاءِ؛ لما رَوَى رافِعُ بن خَدِيجٍ قال: كُنَّا نُخَابِرُ على عَهْدِ رسولِ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-. [فذَكَرَ أنَّ بعضَ عُمُومَتِه أتاه، فقال: نَهَى رسولُ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-] (٤) عن أمْرٍ كان لنا نافِعًا، وطَوَاعِيةُ رَسُولِ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- أنْفَعُ. قال، قُلْنا: ما ذاك؟ قال: قال
(*) هذا العنوان لم يرد في الأصل.(١) سقط من الأصل.(٢) في باب المزارعة بالشطر، من كتاب الحرث. صحيح البخاري ٣/ ١٣٧.(٣) موسى بن طلحة بن عبيد اللَّه التيمى، كان يسمى في زمانه المهدى، توفى سنة ثلاث ومائة. العبر ١/ ١٢٦.(٤) سقط من: ب. نقلة نظر.
