Sahih Muslim Book - 21, Hadith - 3952

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَوْزَاعِىُّ عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ أَبِى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ حَدَّثَنِى حَنْظَلَةُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الأَنْصَارِىُّ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَافِعَ بْنَ خَدِيجٍ عَنْ كِرَاءِ الأَرْضِ بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْوَرِقِ فَقَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ النَّاسُ يُؤَاجِرُونَ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِىِّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- عَلَى الْمَاذِيَانَاتِ وَأَقْبَالِ الْجَدَاوِلِ وَأَشْيَاءَ مِنَ الزَّرْعِ فَيَهْلِكُ هَذَا وَيَسْلَمُ هَذَا وَيَسْلَمُ هَذَا وَيَهْلِكُ هَذَا فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِلنَّاسِ كِرَاءٌ إِلاَّ هَذَا فَلِذَلِكَ زُجِرَ عَنْهُ. فَأَمَّا شَىْءٌ مَعْلُومٌ مَضْمُونٌ فَلاَ بَأْسَ بِهِ.

Hanzalah bin Qais Al-Ansari said: "I asked Rafi' bin Khadij about leasing out land for gold and silver. He said: 'There is nothing wrong with that. Rather at the time of the Prophet (s.a.w) the people used to rent land in return for what grows along the water channels, and at the springs, and in some parts of the fields, but one part would be destroyed while another part would be safe, or vice versa, and this was the only way in which people leased out land. So this was forbidden. As for something that is specified and guaranteed, there is nothing wrong with it."'