Chapter 126(b) - Renting (Qabala) Land for Farming in Exchange for a Certain Percentage of Produce

أَنَّ أَبَاهُ ع حَدَّثَهُ‌ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص أَعْطَى خَيْبَرَ بِالنِّصْفِ أَرْضَهَا وَ نَخْلَهَا فَلَمَّا أَدْرَكَتِ الثَّمَرَةُ بَعَثَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ رَوَاحَةَ فَقَوَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قِيمَةً فَقَالَ لَهُمْ إِمَّا أَنْ تَأْخُذُوهُ وَ تُعْطُونِي نِصْفَ الثَّمَنِ وَ إِمَّا أَنْ أُعْطِيَكُمْ نِصْفَ الثَّمَنِ وَ آخُذَهُ فَقَالُوا بِهَذَا[3] قَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ.

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), informed me that his father (a.s.), has narrated that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, gave the land of Khaybar and its palm trees for half. When fruits ripened he (the Messenger of Allah) delegated ‘Abd Allah

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ص لَمَّا افْتَتَحَ خَيْبَرَ تَرَكَهَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى النِّصْفِ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَتِ الثَّمَرَةُ بَعَثَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ رَوَاحَةَ إِلَيْهِمْ فَخَرَصَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَجَاءُوا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ص فَقَالُوا لَهُ إِنَّهُ قَدْ زَادَ عَلَيْنَا فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ مَا يَقُولُ هَؤُلَاءِ قَالَ قَدْ خَرَصْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِشَيْ‌ءٍ فَإِنْ شَاءُوا يَأ

‘When the Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, liberated Khaybar he left it in their hand for half. When fruits ripened he (the Messenger of Allah) delegated ‘Abd Allah ibn Rawahah who estimated the value and they came to the Holy Prophet, and said

لَا تُقَبِّلِ الْأَرْضَ بِحِنْطَةٍ مُسَمَّاةٍ وَ لَكِنْ بِالنِّصْفِ وَ الثُّلُثِ وَ الرُّبُعِ وَ الْخُمُسِ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ وَ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِالْمُزَارَعَةِ بِالثُّلُثِ وَ الرُّبُعِ وَ الْخُمُسِ‌[1].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Land cannot be accepted for specified wheat, however, it is accepted for one-half, one-third, one-fourth or one-fifth.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Sharecropping for one-third, one for-fourth or one-fifth is not unlawful.’”

فِي الرَّجُلِ يُزَارِعُ فَيَزْرَعُ أَرْضَ غَيْرِهِ فَيَقُولُ ثُلُثٌ لِلْبَقَرِ وَ ثُلُثٌ لِلْبَذْرِ وَ ثُلُثٌ لِلْأَرْضِ قَالَ لَا يُسَمِّي شَيْئاً مِنَ الْحَبِّ وَ الْبَقَرِ وَ لَكِنْ يَقُولُ ازْرَعْ فِيهَا كَذَا وَ كَذَا إِنْ شِئْتَ نِصْفاً وَ إِنْ شِئْتَ ثُلُثاً.

“About the case of a man who works in sharecropping, cultivates the land of another man and says, ‘One third for the bulls, one-third for the seed and one-third for the land’, he (the Imam) Alayhi al- Salam, has said, ‘Things like bulls, seeds and so on must not be mentioned, instead he must say, “You must cultivate so

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَزْرَعُ أَرْضَ آخَرَ فَيَشْتَرِطُ عَلَيْهِ لِلْبَذْرِ ثُلُثاً وَ لِلْبَقَرِ ثُلُثاً قَالَ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسَمِّيَ بَذْراً وَ لَا بَقَراً فَإِنَّمَا يُحَرِّمُ الْكَلَامُ.

“This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, about the case of a man who cultivated the land of another man; if he could set the condition of one-third for the seed, one- third for the bull. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not proper to mention seed or bull. It is statement that makes it unlawful.

سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَزْرَعُ الْأَرْضَ فَيَشْتَرِطُ لِلْبَذْرِ ثُلُثاً وَ لِلْبَقَرِ ثُلُثاً قَالَ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُسَمِّيَ شَيْئاً فَإِنَّمَا يُحَرِّمُ الْكَلَامُ.

“Once abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, was asked about the case of a man who cultivated a land with the condition of one-third for the seed and one-third for the bull. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not proper to designate anything, because it is statements that makes it unlawful.”’

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أُشَارِكُ الْعِلْجَ‌[1] فَيَكُونُ مِنْ عِنْدِيَ الْأَرْضُ وَ الْبَذْرُ وَ الْبَقَرُ وَ يَكُونُ عَلَى الْعِلْجِ الْقِيَامُ وَ السَّقْيُ وَ الْعَمَلُ فِي الزَّرْعِ حَتَّى يَصِيرَ حِنْطَةً وَ شَعِيراً وَ يَكُونُ الْقِسْمَةُ فَيَأْخُذُ السُّلْطَانُ حَقَّهُ وَ يَبْقَى مَا بَقِيَ عَلَى أَنَّ لِلْعِلْجِ مِنْهُ الثُّلُثَ وَ لِيَ الْبَاقِيَ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ قُلْتُ فَلِي عَلَيْهِ أَنْ ي

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Sahl ibn Ziyad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Ibrahim al-Karkhiy who has narrated the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ‘I become a partner of an al-‘ilj (a great non-Muslim person). I provide land, seed, and the bull. Al-‘i