Chapter

The Book of Cutting off the Hand of the Thief

كتاب قطع السارق

Arabic Text

أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَسْرُوقٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ امْرَأَةً، سَرَقَتْ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالُوا مَا نُكَلِّمُهُ فِيهَا مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُكَلِّمُهُ إِلاَّ حِبُّهُ أُسَامَةُ ‏.‏ فَكَلَّمَهُ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ يَا أُسَامَةُ إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ هَلَكُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا كَانَ إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِنْ سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الدُّونُ قَطَعُوهُ وَإِنَّهَا لَوْ كَانَتْ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ لَقَطَعْتُهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

It was narrated from 'Aishah that:

a woman stole at the time of Messenger of Allah and they said: "We cannot speak to him concerning her; there is no one who can speak to him except his beloved, Usamah." So he spoke to him, and he said"O Usamah, the Children of Israel were destroyed for such a thing. Whenever a noble person among them stole, they would let him go, but if a low-class person among them stole, they would cut off his hand. If it were Fatimah bint Muhammad (who stole), I would cut off her hand."