Chapter on the Sale of Pasture, Crops, Trees, Lands, Servants, Water Rights, and Real Estate

أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ بَيْعِ الْكَلَإِ إِذَا كَانَ سَيْحاً[4] يَعْمِدُ الرَّجُلُ إِلَى مَائِهِ فَيَسُوقُهُ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ فَيَسْقِيهِ الْحَشِيشَ وَ هُوَ الَّذِي حَفَرَ النَّهَرَ وَ لَهُ الْمَاءُ يَزْرَعُ بِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ فَقَالَ إِذَا كَانَ الْمَاءُ لَهُ فَلْيَزْرَعْ بِهِ مَا شَاءَ وَ يَبِيعُهُ بِمَا أَحَبَّ.

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about selling pasture when it is irrigated by flowing water, where a man directs his water to the land, irrigates the grass, and he is the one who dug the canal and owns the water, planting with it whatever he wishes. Imam (as) said: "If the water is his, then he may plant with it whatever he

إِنْ كَانَ اشْتَرَطَ حِينَ اشْتَرَاهُ إِنْ شَاءَ قَطَعَهُ قَصِيلًا وَ إِنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ كَمَا هُوَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ سُنْبُلًا[2] وَ إِلَّا فَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَتْرُكَهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ سُنْبُلًا.

Hadith.3862 - Sama'ah asked him about purchasing fodder crops, where a man buys them but does not harvest them, and then decides to leave them until they produce spikes of barley or wheat. He had bought them from their roots, and any tax due on them was the responsibility of the cultivator. Imam (as) said: "If he stipu

فَلْيُدْخِلْ مَعَهُ مَنْ شَاءَ بِبَعْضِ مَا أَعْطَى وَ إِنْ أَدْخَلَ مَعَهُ بِتِسْعَةٍ وَ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَماً فَكَانَ غَنَمُهُ تَرْعَى بِدِرْهَمٍ فَلَا بَأْسَ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَبِيعَهُ بِخَمْسِينَ دِرْهَماً وَ يَرْعَى مَعَهُمْ‌[3] إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ عَمِلَ فِي الْمَرْعَى عَمَلًا حَفَرَ بِئْراً أَوْ شَقَّ نَهَراً بِرِضَا أَصْحَابِ الْمَرْعَى فَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَبِيعَهُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا اشْتَرَاهُ بِهِ ل

Hadith.3863 - Sama'ah asked him about a man who purchased grazing land for fifty dirhams, or more or less, to graze his livestock, and then wanted to allow others to graze with him and charge them a fee. Imam (as) said: "He may allow others to graze with him for part of what he paid. For example, if he includes others

إِنِّي لَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَسْتَأْجِرَ الرَّحَى وَحْدَهَا ثُمَّ أُؤَاجِرَهَا بِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا اسْتَأْجَرْتُهَا إِلَّا أَنْ أُحْدِثَ فِيهَا حَدَثاً أَوْ أُغْرَمَ فِيهَا غُرْماً[4].

فِي رِوَايَةِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ‌ إِذَا تَقَبَّلْتَ أَرْضاً بِذَهَبٍ أَوْ فِضَّةٍ فَلَا تُقَبِّلْهَا بِأَكْثَرَ مِمَّا قَبِلْتَهَا بِهِ لِأَنَّ الذَّهَبَ وَ الْفِضَّةَ مُصْمَتَانِ‌[5].

"If you lease land with gold or silver, do not lease it out for more than what you leased it for, because gold and silver are fixed commodities."

لَا إِلَّا أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَهُ لِقَصِيلٍ يَعْلِفُهُ الدَّوَابَّ ثُمَّ يَتْرُكَهُ إِنْ شَاءَ حَتَّى يُسَنْبِلَ‌[2].

I asked him about purchasing wheat and barley crops before they produce spikes while they are still grass. Imam (as) said: "No, unless he buys it as fodder to feed animals, and then, if he wishes, he may leave it until it produces spikes."

أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ شِرْبٌ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ فِي قَنَاتِهِمْ وَ هُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ فَيَسْتَغْنِي بَعْضُهُمْ عَنْ شِرْبِهِ أَ يَبِيعُهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ إِنْ شَاءَ بَاعَهُ بِوَرِقٍ‌[4] وَ إِنْ شَاءَ بَاعَهُ بِكَيْلِ حِنْطَةٍ.

I asked Abu Abdillah (as) about a man who has a share of water usage in a canal along with others, and they are partners in it. If some of them no longer need their share of the water, can they sell it? Imam (as) said: "Yes, if he wishes, he may sell it for silver coins, or if he wishes, he may sell it for a measure of

لَهُ خُذْ مِنِّي نِصْفَ بَذْرِكَ وَ نِصْفَ نَفَقَتِكَ فِي هَذِهِ الْأَرْضِ لِأُشَارِكَكَ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ‌[5].

Hadith.3868 - Sama'ah asked him about a man who cultivates one hundred jaribs of crops, whether food or other plants, using his own seeds. Then another man comes to him and says, "Take half of my seeds and half of my expenses for this land so that I may share the partnership with you." Imam (as) said: "There is no harm

"إِنْ كَانَ اِشْتَرَطَ عَلَى اَلْعِلْجِ يَوْمَ اِشْتَرَاهُ أَنَّهُ إِنْ شَاءَ جَعَلَهُ سُنْبُلاً وَ إِنْ شَاءَ جَعَلَهُ قَصِيلاً فَلَهُ شَرْطُهُ وَ إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنِ اِشْتَرَطَ فَلاَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَدَعَهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ سُنْبُلاً فَإِنْ فَعَلَ فَإِنَّ عَلَيْهِ طَسْقَهُ وَ نَفَقَتَهُ وَ لَهُ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ ".

Hadith.3869 - Sama'ah asked him about a man who purchased fodder crops but did not harvest them and left them until they turned into barley. He had stipulated with the landowner at the time of purchase that any incident or damage would be the responsibility of the landowner. Imam (as) said: "If he stipulated with the l

كَتَبَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى الْفَقِيهِ ع فِي رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ رَحًى عَلَى نَهَرِ قَرْيَةٍ وَ الْقَرْيَةُ لِرَجُلٍ أَوْ لِرَجُلَيْنِ فَأَرَادَ صَاحِبُ الْقَرْيَةِ أَنْ يَسُوقَ الْمَاءَ إِلَى قَرْيَتِهِ فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا النَّهَرِ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الرَّحَى وَ يُعَطِّلَ هَذِهِ الرَّحَى أَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ أَمْ لَا فَوَقَّعَ ع يَتَّقِي اللَّهَ وَ يَعْمَلُ فِي ذَلِكَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَ لَا يُضَارُّ أَخَاهُ الْمُؤْمِنَ وَ فِي ر

قَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص أَنْ يَكُونَ بَيْنَ الْقَنَاتَيْنِ فِي الْعَرْضِ‌[4] إِذَا كَانَتْ أَرْضاً رِخْوَةً أَنْ يَكُونَ بَيْنَهُمَا أَلْفُ ذِرَاعٍ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ أَرْضاً صُلْبَةً يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُمَا خَمْسُمِائَةِ ذِرَاعٍ.

Hadith.3871 - The Messenger of Allah (swt) (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ruled that the distance between two canals, if the land is soft, should be one thousand cubits, and if the land is hard, the distance should be five hundred cubits.

وَ قَضَى ع فِي أَهْلِ الْبَوَادِي أَنْ لَا يَمْنَعُوا فَضْلَ مَاءٍ وَ لَا يَبِيعُوا[5] فَضْلَ الْكَلَإِ.

Hadith.3872 - Imam (as) ruled concerning the people of the desert that they should neither withhold surplus water nor sell excess pasture.

وَ قَضَى ع أَنَّ الْبِئْرَ حَرِيمُهَا أَرْبَعُونَ ذِرَاعاً لَا يُحْفَرُ إِلَى جَنْبِهَا بِئْرٌ أُخْرَى لِمَعْطَنٍ أَوْ غَنَمٍ‌[6].

Hadith.3873 - Imam (as) ruled that the protected area around a well is forty cubits, and no other well may be dug next to it for watering livestock or sheep.

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي الْمَاءِ وَ النَّارِ وَ الْكَلَإِ[1].

I asked him about the water of the valley. Imam (as) said: "Indeed, Muslims are partners in water, fire, and pasture."

إِنْ شَاءَ اسْتَرْجَعَ فَضْلَ مَالِهِ وَ أَخَذَ الْأَرْضَ وَ إِنْ شَاءَ رَدَّ الْبَيْعَ وَ أَخَذَ مَالَهُ كُلَّهُ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ إِلَى حَدِّ تِلْكَ الْأَرْضِ لَهُ أَيْضاً أَرَضُونَ فَيُوَفِّيَهُ وَ يَكُونُ الْبَيْعُ لَازِماً لَهُ وَ الْوَفَاءُ لَهُ بِتَمَامِ الْمَبِيعِ‌[2] فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَكَانِ غَيْرُ الَّذِي بَاعَ فَإِنْ شَاءَ الْمُشْتَرِي أَخَذَ الْأَرْضَ وَ اسْتَرْجَعَ فَضْلَ مَالِهِ و

Hadith.3875 - Umar bin Hanzalah narrated from Abu Abdillah (as) regarding a man who sold a piece of land, claiming it contained ten jaribs, and the buyer purchased it with its boundaries specified, paid the price, concluded the sale, and they separated. However, when the land was measured, it turned out to be only five