Chapter on the Rights of Harvest and Gathering

Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh|Volume 2|Book 1|Chapter 8

Chapter on the Rights of Harvest and Gathering

2 hadiths · 1 commentary

قال الله تعالى: " وآتوا حقه يوم حصاده " وهو أن تأخذ بيدك الضغث بعد الضغث فتعطيه المسكين ثم المسكين حتى تفرغ منه، وعند الصرام الحفنة بعد الحفنة حتى تفرغ منه، ومن الجذاذ الحفنة بعد الحفنة حتى تفرغ منه ويترك للحارس يكون في الحائط أجرا معلوما، ويترك من النخلة معافارة، وأم جعرور ويترك للحارس العذق والعذقين والثلاثة لحفظه له وأما قوله تعالى: " ولا تسرفوا إنه لا يحب المسرفين " فالاسراف أن تعطي بيديك جميعا.

Allah , the Almighty, says: "And give its due on the day of its harvest" (Surah Al-An’am 6:141). This means that you take handful after handful and give it to the needy, then to another needy person, until you are done. At the time of reaping, you give a handful after another until it is completed. Similarly, from the fruit that is picked, you give handful by handful until finished. For the guard (over the harvest), you leave a specific wage for their work, and from the palm trees, you leave what is known as ma‘afarah (small dates) and Um J‘arur (inferior dates). Additionally, the guard is allowed to take one, two, or three bunches of dates as compensation for protecting the trees. As for Allah’s statement: "But do not be wasteful, for He does not love the wasteful" (Surah Al-An’am 6:141), wastefulness here refers to giving away all of it with both hands.

Hadith #1

وَ قَالَ اَلصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «لاَ تَحْصُدْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ لاَ تَصْرِمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ لاَ تَجُذَّ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ لاَ تُضَحِّ بِاللَّيْلِ وَ لاَ تَبْذُرْ بِاللَّيْلِ لِأَنَّكَ تُعْطِي فِي اَلْبَذْرِ كَمَا تُعْطِي فِي اَلْحَصَادِ وَ مَتَى فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِاللَّيْلِ لَمْ يَحْضُرْكَ اَلْمَسَاكِينُ وَ اَلسُّؤَّالُ وَ لاَ اَلْقَانِعُ وَ لاَ اَلْمُعْتَرُّ».

Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq said: "Do not harvest at night, do not reap at night, do not pick fruit at night, do not sacrifice at night, and do not sow seeds at night, because you must give in sowing as you give in harvesting. When you do these acts at night, the needy, the beggars, the satisfied poor, and the distressed will not be present."

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh

Hadith #2

وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ مُصَادِفٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فِي أَرْضٍ لَهُ وَ هُمْ يَصْرِمُونَ فَجَاءَ سَائِلٌ يَسْأَلُ فَقُلْتُ اَللَّهُ يَرْزُقُكَ فَقَالَ «مَهْ لَيْسَ ذَاكَ لَكُمْ حَتَّى تُعْطُوا ثَلاَثَةً فَإِنْ أَعْطَيْتُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَلَكُمْ وَ إِنْ أَمْسَكْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ».

It is narrated from Musadif, who said: I was with Abu Abdullah Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq on his land while they were harvesting. A beggar came asking for something, and I said, "May Allah provide for you." The Imam said: "Hold on! That is not for you to say until you have given three times. After you have given three times, if you give more, it is for you (to decide), and if you withhold, it is also for you (to decide)."

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Faqīh