Is it permissible to buy seeds for planting agricultural land in exchange for the return of the value of the seeds and the crop at the end of the season?

We understand from the question that the landowner will borrow seeds from the questioner to plant his land, on the condition that he returns an equivalent amount and sells the harvest to him. This contract is invalid because the lender benefits from his loan, which is the purchase of the harvest. Every loan that brings a benefit to the lender is usury (riba), and the loan must be for the benefit of the borrower.

Al-Hattab said: "Every condition that leads to a benefit for other than the borrower invalidates the loan."

Al-Nafrawi said: "A loan (salaf) is only for the sake of Allah, so it is not permissible unless the benefit is purely for the borrower."

It is not permissible to combine a loan with any contract of exchange, such as sale or lease, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "It is not permissible to combine a loan and a sale, nor two conditions in a sale" (narrated by Ahmad and the compilers of the Sunan). The reason for this is that it is a means to usury.

Ibn Taymiyyah said: "The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade combining a loan and a sale... The general meaning of the hadith is not to combine an exchange with a charitable donation, because that donation was only for the sake of the exchange, not an absolute donation, thus becoming part of the compensation."

However, lending seeds or loaning land is permissible as an act of kindness.

It is stated in Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah: "If a man gives seeds to another man and says: 'Plant these in your land, so that the entire yield will be yours,' or he says: 'Plant your land with my seeds, so that the entire yield will be yours.' This is permissible, and the owner of the seeds becomes a lender of the seeds to the landowner to plant them in his land... And if he gives seeds to a man to plant them in his land on the condition that the entire yield belongs to the owner of the seeds; this is permissible, and the owner of the seeds becomes a borrower of the land from the landowner... But if he had said: 'Sow this in your land for yourself on the condition that whatever Allah produces from it is all mine,' then the entire yield belongs to the landowner, and the owner of the seeds is entitled to an equivalent amount of his seeds from the landowner."