He was also asked—may Allah be pleased with him:

What if one party provides land and the other seed, and so forth?

He replied:

Likewise, if two parties enter into an arrangement whereby one provides land and the other seed or cattle, or one provides water and the other grain and grapes, there are two opinions, corresponding to two reported positions from Ahmad. The stronger view is that this is permissible.

The same applies if someone hires another to grind flour for him in return for a third or a quarter of it; to bake a loaf for him in return for a third or a quarter of it; to make clothes for him in return for a third or a quarter of them; to irrigate his crops in return for a third or a quarter of them; or to harvest his fruit in return for a third or a quarter of it. These and similar arrangements are permissible according to the apparent position of Ahmad’s school and the views of other scholars.

Likewise, if someone provides another with his water to irrigate the latter’s cotton or other crops, in return for a quarter or a third of the produce, this too is permissible, whether the water is supplied by this party. This is a form of partnership, not a hire contract, and is comparable to orchard sharecropping and crop sharecropping.

The correct position, upheld by the jurists of hadith, is that crop sharecropping is permissible whether the seed comes from the landowner, the cultivator, or both, and whether it is