diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index ecaa1bf9d23..1fff0762158 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -209,6 +209,9 @@ Branch-2 ( Unreleased changes )
 
     HADOOP-8368. Use CMake rather than autotools to build native code (ccccabe via tucu)
 
+    HADOOP-8524. Allow users to get source of a Configuration
+    parameter (harsh)
+
   BUG FIXES
 
     HADOOP-8372. NetUtils.normalizeHostName() incorrectly handles hostname
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/Configuration.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/Configuration.java
index 917f97c69bd..c54070eaafe 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/Configuration.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/Configuration.java
@@ -1070,6 +1070,38 @@ public void setPattern(String name, Pattern pattern) {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Gets the absolute path to the resource object (file, URL, etc.), for a given
+   * property name.
+   *
+   * @param name - The property name to get the source of.
+   * @return null - If the property or its source wasn't found or if the property
+   * was defined in code (i.e. in a Configuration instance, not from a physical
+   * resource). Otherwise, returns the absolute path of the resource that loaded
+   * the property name, as a String.
+   */
+  @InterfaceStability.Unstable
+  public synchronized String getPropertySource(String name) {
+    if (properties == null) {
+      // If properties is null, it means a resource was newly added
+      // but the props were cleared so as to load it upon future
+      // requests. So lets force a load by asking a properties list.
+      getProps();
+    }
+    // Return a null right away if our properties still
+    // haven't loaded or the resource mapping isn't defined
+    if (properties == null || updatingResource == null) {
+      return null;
+    } else {
+      String source = updatingResource.get(name);
+      if (source == null || source.equals(UNKNOWN_RESOURCE)) {
+        return null;
+      } else {
+        return source;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * A class that represents a set of positive integer ranges. It parses 
    * strings of the form: "2-3,5,7-" where ranges are separated by comma and 
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/TestConfiguration.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/TestConfiguration.java
index 34a1780142c..4878031262e 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/TestConfiguration.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/conf/TestConfiguration.java
@@ -663,6 +663,26 @@ public void testPattern() throws IOException {
                  conf.getPattern("test.pattern3", defaultPattern).pattern());
   }
 
+  public void testPropertySource() throws IOException {
+    out = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(CONFIG));
+    startConfig();
+    appendProperty("test.foo", "bar");
+    endConfig();
+    Path fileResource = new Path(CONFIG);
+    conf.addResource(fileResource);
+    conf.set("fs.defaultFS", "value");
+    assertEquals(
+        "Resource string returned for a file-loaded property" +
+        " must be a proper absolute path",
+        fileResource,
+        new Path(conf.getPropertySource("test.foo")));
+    assertEquals("Resource string returned for a set() property must be null",
+        null,
+        conf.getPropertySource("fs.defaultFS"));
+    assertEquals("Resource string returned for an unset property must be null",
+        null, conf.getPropertySource("fs.defaultFoo"));
+  }
+
   public void testSocketAddress() throws IOException {
     Configuration conf = new Configuration();
     final String defaultAddr = "host:1";