Sunan Ibn Majah Book 16, Hadith 2483

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْمُغَلِّسِ، حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَضَى فِي شُرْبِ النَّخْلِ مِنَ السَّيْلِ أَنَّ الأَعْلَى فَالأَعْلَى يَشْرَبُ قَبْلَ الأَسْفَلِ وَيُتْرَكُ الْمَاءُ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ الْمَاءُ إِلَى الأَسْفَلِ الَّذِي يَلِيهِ وَكَذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ الْحَوَائِطُ أَوْ يَفْنَى الْمَاءُ ‏.‏

It was narrated from 'Ubadah bin Samit that :the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ruled concerning the irrigation of palm trees from streams, that the higher ground should be irrigated before the lower, and that the water should be allowed to reach the ankles, then released to flow the nearest lower ground, and so on, until all the fields were watered or until the water ran out