Ruling on Dead Lands

Question: The current government in one of the Arab countries has distributed dead lands, taking them from the original owners and distributing them to other people. We ask you, Your Eminence, to clarify the ruling of Islam in this matter?

Answer: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has clarified the ruling on dead lands. He said, (peace and blessings be upon him): , and he said: . It is obligatory for the government in your country and elsewhere to judge between people according to the ruling of Islam, and to prevent the subjects from transgressing the limits of the Shari'ah. If there are dead lands that have not been cultivated, it is obligatory for the authorities to encourage the subjects to cultivate them and to distribute them among them with justice according to their ability and desire.
If someone takes possession of a dead land and does not cultivate it, he must be given a warning and a suitable time limit set for him. If he cultivates it within the specified time, well and good; otherwise, it is to be taken from him and handed over to whoever desires to cultivate it and is capable of doing so.
As for owned lands, neither the government nor anyone else may seize them from their owners except with their consent, or through valid Islamic contracts such as sale, lease, borrowing, sharecropping, or other valid Islamic contracts; for Allah the Exalted said: And whoever does that in transgression and injustice, We will soon cause him to taste the Fire, and that will be easy for Allah. [Surah al-Nisa: 29-30] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : [Surah al-Furqan: 19]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. And it is authentic that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said on the Day of Sacrifice during the Farewell Pilgrimage: .
And he said, (peace and blessings be upon him), in what is authentic from him: .
And in the two Sahihs, it is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: .
And Muslim narrated in his Sahih, from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) , that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The scholars of knowledge (may Allah have mercy on them) said in their interpretation of "the markers of the land": that they are its landmarks and boundaries. So if someone alters the landmarks and boundaries of the land, he is cursed; because of the fitnah, disputes, and injustice to some of the neighbors that result from his action. How much more so for one who seizes owned lands from their owners and gives them to others without a Shari'ah command?
So we ask Allah for well-being and safety from everything that angers Him and contradicts His Shari'ah.
The verses and hadiths regarding the obligation to respect the wealth of Muslims and to beware of injustice are very numerous, and we hope that what we have mentioned is sufficient.
And we ask Allah, the Exalted, to rectify the conditions of the Muslims and their leaders, and to turn them to Him with a good turning, and to grant them success in holding fast to His religion, judging by His Shari'ah and referring to it, and being cautious of what contradicts it. Indeed, He is the One who has the power to do that and is capable of it.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.