Agriculture in Islam

الزراعة في الإسلام

Al-Maraghi presents agriculture as the oldest livelihood, after Ibn Khaldun, the simplest and closest to nature (pp. 27-28). Islam encourages it as the source of people's and animals' food and forbids farming usurped land (p. 28). Reviving dead land gives title, and a tract left unworked for three years may pass to another who works it, subject to the ruler's permission in practice (p. 29). The book warns against withholding surplus water and tells the Zubayr water dispute (pp. 29-30). Sharecropping is called muzara'a (p. 30).