We used to engage in muhaqalah on the land during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, renting it out for a third or a fourth of the produce, or for a specified amount of food. One day, a man from among my paternal uncles came to us and said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has forbidden us from something that was beneficial to us, but obedience to Allah and His Messenger is more beneficial for us. He has forbidden us from practicing muhaqalah on the land, renting it out for a third or a fourth of the produce or for a specified amount of food. He has ordered the owner of the land either to cultivate it himself or to have it cultivated, and he disliked renting it out or anything other than that."
كنا نحاقل الأرض على عهد رسول الله ﷺ، فنكريها بالثلث والربع والطعام المسمى، فجاءنا ذات يوم رجل من عمومتي، فقال: نهانا رسول الله ﷺ عن أمر كان لنا نافعا، وطواعية الله ورسوله أنفع لنا، نهانا أن نحاقل بالأرض، فنكريها على الثلث والربع والطعام المسمى، وأمر رب الأرض أن يزرعها، أو يزرعها، وكره كراءها وما سوى ذلك.
Muslim reported it in "The Book of Sales" (1548:113) via Ismail bin Ulaya, from Ayub, from Yaala bin Hakeem, from Sulayman bin Yasar, from Rafi bin Khadij, who said, and then mentioned it. This prohibition was at the beginning of the matter.