Chapter on Land Tax (Kharaj) and the Cultivation of Lands

Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 4|Book 1|Chapter 34

Chapter on Land Tax (Kharaj) and the Cultivation of Lands

3 hadiths · 1 commentary

محمد بنيعقوب عن عدة من أصحابنا عن أحمد بن محمدا بن عيسى عن علي بن أحمد بن اشيم عن صفوان بن يحيى واحمد بن محمد بن ابي نصر قال: ذكرنا له الكوفة وما وضع عليها من الخراج وما سار فيها أهل بيته فقال: من اسلم طوعا تركت أرضه في يده وأخذ منه العشر مما سقت السماء والانهار ونصف العشر مما سقي بالرشا فيما عمروه منها، وما لم يعمروه منها أخذه الامام في قبله ممن يعمره وكان للمسلمين، وعلى المتقبلين فيحصصهما لعشرونصفالعشر، وليسفي أقل من خمسة اوساق شئمنالزكاة، وما أخذ بالسيف فذلك للامام يقبله بالذي يرى كما صنع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله بخيبر قبل سوادها وبياضهاـ يعني ارضها ونخلهاـ والناس يقولون لا تصلح قبلة الارض والنخل وقد قبل رسول الله ص خيبر، وعلى المتقبلين سوى قبالة الارض العشر ونصف العشر في حصصهم، ثم قال: ان أهل الطائف اسلموا وجعلوا عليهم العشر ونصف العشر، وان أهل مكة دخلها رسول الله ص عنوة وكانوا اسراء في يده فأعتقهم وقال: اذهب وا فانتم الطلقاء

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from a number of our companions, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Ashim, from Safwan ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, who said: We mentioned Kufa to him, and what had been placed upon it of land-tax (kharaj), and what the people of his Household (Ahlul Bayt ) had followed regarding it. He said: “Whoever embraced Islam willingly, his land was left in his hand, and from him was taken the tenth from what was watered by the sky and the rivers, and half of the tenth from what was watered by ropes (al-risha), from what they cultivated of it. As for what they did not cultivate of it, the Imam takes it and leases it to whoever cultivates it, and it belongs to the Muslims. Upon those who take it on lease, in their shares, is the tenth and half of the tenth. There is no zakat on less than five wasqs (awsaq). As for what was taken by the sword, that belongs to the Imam; he leases it for whatever he sees fit, just as the Messenger of Allah , did with Khaybar. He leased its black and its white, meaning its land and its palm-trees. The people say, ‘leasing of land and palm-trees is not valid,’ while the Prophet , leased Khaybar. Upon those who take it on lease, besides the lease-payment (qabalah) of the land, is the tenth and half of the tenth in their shares.” Then he said: “The people of Taif embraced Islam, and He placed upon them the tenth and half of the tenth. As for the people of Makkah, the Prophet , entered it by force, and they were captives in his hand, so He freed them and said: ‘Go, for you are the freed ones.’”

Ali Akbar al-Ghaffari
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 4, p. 151
Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb

Hadith #2

أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ قَالَ: ذَكَرْتُ لِأَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ اَلرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ اَلْخَرَاجَ وَ مَا سَارَ بِهِ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ فَقَالَ» اَلْعُشْرُ وَ نِصْفُ اَلْعُشْرِ عَلَى مَنْ أَسْلَمَ تَطَوُّعاً تُرِكَتْ أَرْضُهُ فِي يَدِهِ وَ أُخِذَ مِنْهُ اَلْعُشْرُ وَ نِصْفُ اَلْعُشْرِ فِيمَا عَمَرَ مِنْهَا وَ مَا لَمْ يَعْمُرْ مِنْهَا أَخَذَهُ اَلْوَالِي فَقَبَّلَهُ مِمَّنْ يَعْمُرُهُ وَكَانَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ لَيْسَ فِيمَا كَانَ أَقَلَّ مِنْ خَمْسَةِ أَوْسَاقٍ شَيْءٌ وَ مَا أُخِذَ بِالسَّيْفِ فَذَلِكَ لِلْإِمَامِ يُقَبِّلُهُ بِالَّذِي يَرَى كَمَا صَنَعَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ بِخَيْبَرَ قَبَّلَ أَرْضَهَا وَنَخْلَهَا وَ اَلنَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ لاَ تَصْلُحُ قَبَالَةُ اَلْأَرْضِ وَاَلنَّخْلِ إِذَا كَانَ اَلْبَيَاضُ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ اَلسَّوَادِ وَ قَدْ قَبَّلَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ خَيْبَرَ وَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي حِصَصِهِمُ اَلْعُشْرُ وَ نِصْفُ اَلْعُشْرِ«.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, who said: I mentioned to Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha , peace be upon him, about ‘the land-tax (kharaj) and what the people of his Household (Ahlul Bayt ) followed concerning it.’ Imam said: “The tenth and half of the tenth are upon one who accepts Islam voluntarily. His land is left in his hand, and the tenth and half of the tenth are taken from him from what he cultivates of it. As for what he does not cultivate of it, the governor takes it and leases it to one who will cultivate it, and it belongs to the Muslims. And there is no zakat on anything less than five awsaq. And whatever is taken by the sword, that belongs to the Imam; he leases it according to what he sees fit, just as the Messenger of Allah , Allah's blessings be upon him and his family, did with Khaybar. The Prophet leased its land and its palm-trees. And the people say: ‘Leasing land and palm-trees is not valid when the uncultivated land (bayad) is greater than the cultivated land (sawad),’ yet Messenger of Allah , Allah's blessings be upon him and his family, leased Khaybar, and upon them in their shares is the tenth and half of the tenth.”

Ali Akbar al-Ghaffari
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 4, p. 152
Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb

Hadith #3

سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ اَلْحَكَمِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عِمْرَانَ اَلشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَشْعَثَ اَلْكِنْدِيِّ عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ اَلْأَنْصَارِيِّ قَالَ: اِسْتَعْمَلَنِي أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَى أَرْبَعَةِ رَسَاتِيقِ اَلْمَدَائِنِ اَلْبِهْقُبَاذَاتِ وَبَهُرَ سِيرَ وَ نَهَرِ جُوَيْرٍ وَ نَهَرِ اَلْمَلِكِ وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَضَعَ عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبِ زَرْعٍ غَلِيظٍ دِرْهَماً وَنِصْفاً وَ عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبٍ وَسَطٍ دِرْهَماً عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبِ زَرْعٍ رَقِيقٍ ثُلُثَيْ دِرْهَمٍ وَ عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبِ كَرْمٍ عَشَرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ وَ عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبِ نَخْلٍ عَشَرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ وَ عَلَى كُلِّ جَرِيبِ اَلْبَسَاتِينِ اَلَّتِي تَجْمَعُ اَلنَّخْلَ وَ اَلشَّجَرَ عَشَرَةَ دَرَاهِمَ وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُلْقِيَ كُلَّ نَخْلٍ شَاذٍّ عَنِ اَلْقُرَى لِمَارَّةِ اَلطَّرِيقِ وَ اِبْنِ اَلسَّبِيلِ وَ لاَ آخُذَ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَضَعَ عَلَى اَلدَّهَاقِينِ اَلَّذِينَ يَرْكَبُونَ اَلْبَرَاذِينَ وَيَتَخَتَّمُونَ بِالذَّهَبِ عَلَى كُلِّ رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ ثَمَانِيَةً وَ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَماً وَ عَلَى أَوْسَاطِهِمْ وَاَلتُّجَّارِ مِنْهُمْ عَلَى كُلِّ رَجُلٍ أَرْبَعَةً وَ عِشْرِينَ دِرْهَماً وَ عَلَى سَفِلَتِهِمْ وَ فُقَرَائِهِمْ اِثْنَيْ عَشَرَ دِرْهَماً عَلَى كُلِّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ فَجَبَيْتُهَا ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ فِي سَنَةٍ.

Sa'd ibn Abdullah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Ali ibn al-Hakam, from Ibrahim ibn Imran al-Shaybani, from Yunus ibn Ibrahim, from Yahya ibn Ash'ath al-Kindi, from Mus'ab ibn Yazid al-Ansari, who said: The Commander of the Believers, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib , peace be upon him, appointed me (Mus'ab ibn Yazid) over four districts (rasatiq) of al-Mada'in: al-Bahqubadhat, Bahurasir, Nahr Juwayr, and Nahr al-Malik. The Imam commanded me to place upon every jarib (roughly equating to 0.5 to 1 acre) of heavy crop one and a half dirhams, Upon every jarib of medium crop one dirham, Upon every jarib of light crop two-thirds of a dirham, Upon every jarib of vineyard ten dirhams, Upon every jarib of palm-trees ten dirhams, And upon every jarib of gardens that combine palm-trees and other trees ten dirhams. Imam commanded me to leave every isolated palm-tree outside the villages for passers-by on the road and the wayfarer, and not to take anything from it. Imam commanded me to place upon the dihqans (dahaqin) who ride fine horses (baradhin) and wear gold rings, upon each man among them, forty-eight dirhams; And upon their middle class and merchants, upon each man, twenty-four dirhams; And upon their lower class and poor, twelve dirhams upon every person among them.” He (Mus'ab) said: “So I collected from it eighteen million dirhams in one year.”

Ali Akbar al-Ghaffari
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 4, p. 153
Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb

Commentary #1

قال محمد بن الحسن: فما تضمن هذا الخبر من ذكر شئ من الجزية موظف من كل انسان ليس بمناف لما ذكرناه من ان ذلك الى الامام يأخذ منهم بحسب ما يراه في الوقت، لانه لا يمتنع أن يكون أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام رأى من المصلحة ان يضع على كل رجل منهم في تلك السنة القدر المذكور، وإذا تغيرت المصلحة الى زيادة أو نقصان غيره ايضا، وانما كان يكون منافيا لو وضع ذلك عليهم وقال هذا حكمهم ولا يزادون ولا ينقصون عنه في جميع الاحوال، وليس ذلك في الخبر.

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan said: “What this report contains of mentioning something of the poll-tax (jizyah) as fixed upon every person is not contrary to what we have mentioned, that this is up to the Imam, who takes from them according to what he sees fit at the time, because it is not impossible that the Commander of the Faithful , peace be upon him, saw it to be in the interest to place upon each man among them in that year the mentioned amount. And when the interest changes to an increase or a decrease, he also changes it. It would only be contrary if he had placed that upon them and said: ‘This is their ruling, and they shall not be increased nor decreased from it in all circumstances. But that is not in the report.’”