Chapter 126(a) - Matters Permissible or Otherwise in Renting Land

لَا تُؤَاجِرُوا الْأَرْضَ بِالْحِنْطَةِ وَ لَا بِالشَّعِيرِ وَ لَا بِالتَّمْرِ وَ لَا بِالْأَرْبِعَاءِ وَ لَا بِالنِّطَافِ‌[2] وَ لَكِنْ بِالذَّهَبِ وَ الْفِضَّةِ لِأَنَّ الذَّهَبَ وَ الْفِضَّةَ مَضْمُونٌ وَ هَذَا لَيْسَ بِمَضْمُونٍ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must not rent land in exchange for wheat, barley, dates, canals or small amount of water, but you can do so in exchange for gold or silver; gold and silver are guaranteed and those are not guaranteed.’”

لَا تَسْتَأْجِرِ الْأَرْضَ بِالتَّمْرِ وَ لَا بِالْحِنْطَةِ وَ لَا بِالشَّعِيرِ وَ لَا بِالْأَرْبِعَاءِ وَ لَا بِالنِّطَافِ قُلْتُ وَ مَا الْأَرْبِعَاءُ قَالَ الشِّرْبُ وَ النِّطَافُ فَضْلُ الْمَاءِ وَ لَكِنْ تَقَبَّلْهَا بِالذَّهَبِ وَ الْفِضَّةِ وَ النِّصْفِ وَ الثُّلُثِ وَ الرُّبُعِ

‘You must not rent land in exchange for dates, wheat, barley, al-Arbi‘a’ or al-Nitaf.’ I then asked, ‘What is al-Arbi‘a?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is a small amount of water and al-Nitaf means extra water, but rent it in exchange for gold or silver, for half of the produce, one-third or one-fourth.’”

لَا تَسْتَأْجِرِ الْأَرْضَ بِالْحِنْطَةِ ثُمَّ تَزْرَعَهَا حِنْطَةً.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘You must not rent land in exchange for wheat where you plant wheat.’”

فِي الرَّجُلِ يَتَقَبَّلُ الْأَرْضَ بِالدَّنَانِيرِ أَوْ بِالدَّرَاهِمِ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ.

“About the case of a man who accepts dinar or dirham for (the rent of) land, abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”

فِي الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ الْأَرْضُ عَلَيْهَا خَرَاجٌ مَعْلُومٌ وَ رُبَّمَا زَادَ وَ رُبَّمَا نَقَصَ فَيَدْفَعُهَا إِلَى رَجُلٍ عَلَى أَنْ يَكْفِيَهُ خَرَاجَهَا وَ يُعْطِيَهُ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ فِي السَّنَةِ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ.

“About the case of a man who has a piece of land for which he pays a certain amount of tax that may increase or decrease; and he gives it to another man to pay its taxes and two hundred dirham every year. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not unlawful.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع- عَنْ إِجَارَةِ الْأَرْضِ بِالطَّعَامِ فَقَالَ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ طَعَامِهَا فَلَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ.

“I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about renting land in exchange for foodstuff. He (the Imam) said, ‘If it is of the produce of the same land, there is nothing good in it.’”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنْ رَجُلٍ اسْتَأْجَرَ مِنْ رَجُلٍ أَرْضاً فَقَالَ أُجْرَتُهَا[1] كَذَا وَ كَذَا عَلَى أَنْ أَزْرَعَهَا فَإِنْ لَمْ أَزْرَعْهَا أَعْطَيْتُكَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمْ يَزْرَعْهَا قَالَ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ إِنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ وَ إِنْ شَاءَ لَمْ يَتْرُكْهُ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who rented a piece of land from another man saying, ‘I rent this piece of land to cultivate, and if I will not cultivate I will still pay you the rent’; and he does not cultivate it. He (the Imam) said, ‘He has the right to collect th

سَأَلْتُ الرِّضَا ع- عَنْ رَجُلٍ يَشْتَرِي مِنْ رَجُلٍ أَرْضاً جُرْبَاناً مَعْلُومَةً بِمِائَةِ كُرٍّ عَلَى أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ حَرَامٌ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ فَمَا تَقُولُ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ إِنِ‌ اشْتَرَى مِنْهُ الْأَرْضَ بِكَيْلٍ مَعْلُومٍ وَ حِنْطَةٍ مِنْ غَيْرِهَا قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ.

“I once asked al-Rida’ (a.s.), about the case of a man who bought a certain piece of land from another man in exchange for one hundred Kur (a certain unit of measurement) to be paid from the land. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is unlawful.’ I then asked, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, what do you

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى ع عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَزْرَعُ لَهُ الْحَرَّاثُ الزَّعْفَرَانَ وَ يَضْمَنُ لَهُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ فِي كُلِّ جَرِيبِ أَرْضٍ يُمْسَحُ عَلَيْهِ وَزْنَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا دِرْهَماً فَرُبَّمَا نَقَصَ وَ غَرِمَ وَ رُبَّمَا اسْتَفْضَلَ وَ زَادَ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ إِذَا تَرَاضَيَا[1].

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a man for whom the farmers cultivate saffron and guarantee to give him a certain amount by the weight of dirham for every Jirib (a certain unit of measurement) that is cultivated and then it may produce less thus, he is in loss or may produce more, thus, he gains. H

سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ رَجُلٍ يُزْرَعُ لَهُ الزَّعْفَرَانُ فَيَضْمَنُ لَهُ الْحَرَّاثُ عَلَى أَنْ يَدْفَعَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ كُلِّ أَرْبَعِينَ مَنَا زَعْفَرَانٍ رَطْبٍ مَنًا وَ يُصَالِحُهُ عَلَى الْيَابِسِ وَ الْيَابِسُ إِذَا جُفِّفَ يَنْقُصُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَرْبَاعِهِ وَ يَبْقَى رُبُعُهُ وَ قَدْ جُرِّبَ قَالَ لَا يَصْلُحُ قُلْتُ وَ إِنْ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ أَمِينٌ يُحْفَظُ بِهِ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ حِفْظَهُ لِأَنَّهُ يُعَالِجُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man for whom saffron was cultivated and the farmers guaranteed to give him one Mann (a certain unit of weight) out of every forty Mann fresh saffron and made a settlement about the dried saffron. Dried saffron reduces by three-fourth from