Reports on theft, and what does not incur amputation

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The hand is not to be cut off for (the theft of something worth) less than ten dirhams."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains al-Hajjaj bin Artah, who is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in his chain), and Nasr bin Bab, whom the majority declared da'if (weak); Ahmad said: There is no harm in him.

Irak narrates that he heard Marwan say during the Hajj season: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a hand cut off for the theft of a shield, and a camel is surely more valuable than a shield.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The hand is to be cut off only for (the theft of something worth) one dinar or ten dirhams.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. It is mawquf (a Companion's statement), and the narrator al-Qasim Abu Abd al-Rahman is da'if (weak), though he has also been declared trustworthy.

Zahr bin Rabi'ah narrates that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The hand is to be cut off for (stealing something worth) one dinar or ten dirhams."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Sulayman bin Dawud al-Shadhakuni, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The hand is to be cut off only (that is, at the least) for (stealing something worth) ten dirhams."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain is da'if (weak).

Sayyidah Umm Ayman (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The (hand of the) thief is to be cut off only for (stealing) a shield (or something of equal value)." In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), its value was one dinar or ten dirhams.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Yahya bin Abd al-Hamid al-Himmani, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had (a thief's hand) cut off for (stealing) a shield whose value was five dirhams.
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Ibn Majah recorded it, but he did not include the words: "whose value was five dirhams."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Abu Waqid al-Saghir. Ahmad said: I see no harm in him; and the majority declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had (a thief's hand) cut off for (stealing) an iron helmet whose value was twenty-one dirhams.
Al-Bazzar recorded it. Its chain contains al-Mukhtar bin Nafi', who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), a girl stole a jar (or small waterskin) of wine whose value did not even reach three dirhams, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have her hand cut off.
Al-Bazzar recorded it and said: This was before wine was prohibited, and Allah knows best. Its chain contains Abu Hawmal; al-Dhahabi said: He is not known.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The punishment of cutting off the hand is to be given only for (stealing) livestock that (is stolen) from the pen, and for dates that (are stolen) from the storehouse."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Abdullah bin Sa'id bin Abi Sa'id, who is matruk (abandoned).

Hammam bin al-Harith narrates: Ibn Muqarrin asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), saying: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman! I have sworn an oath that I will not sleep on my bed for a year." So Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse: "O you who believe! Do not make unlawful the good, lawful things that Allah Almighty has made lawful for you, and do not transgress. Indeed, Allah Almighty does not love the transgressors." After that, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Make expiation for your oath and sleep on your bed." He said: "I am a well-off man." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Free a slave." He said: "My slave has stolen a cloak (qaba') from my house." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "One part of your wealth has stolen another part" — meaning that his hand cannot be cut off as punishment. Ibn Muqarrin said: "My slave-woman has committed fornication." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Flog her." He said: "She is not muhsanah (in a state of chastity through marriage)." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Her Islam is her ihsan."
Al-Tabarani recorded it with various chains; the narrators of this chain and of the others are the narrators of the Sahih.

Al-Qasim narrates: A slave-girl (or a young girl) who had stolen, and who was not muhsanah, was brought to Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not cut off her hand.
Al-Tabarani recorded it; al-Qasim bin Abd al-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Mas'ud did not hear from his grandfather, but its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

It is also reported from this same narrator, al-Qasim, that he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) came, and Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) had built the palace and had made a mosque among Ashab al-Namir, and he would go out to it for the prayers. When Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) was appointed in charge of the treasury (bayt al-mal), the treasury was broken into, and he caught a man. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about it, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote in reply: "Do not cut off his hand; move the mosque, and place the treasury on the side facing the qiblah, for whoever is praying will continually be in the mosque." So Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) moved it and marked out its lines there. The palace that Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) had built had a raised platform (shadhirwan) on which the imam would stand; by the order of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) it was demolished, until the imam stood level with the people.
Al-Tabarani recorded it; the narrator al-Qasim did not hear from his grandfather, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Ismah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a slave stole, and the matter was brought before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned him. Then he was brought before him a second time, having stolen, and he pardoned him again. Then he was brought before him a third time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned him. Then he was brought before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a fourth time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pardoned him. Then he was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a fifth time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had his hand cut off. Then he was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a sixth time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had one of his feet cut off. Then he was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a seventh time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had his other hand cut off. Then he was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) an eighth time, having stolen, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had his other foot cut off, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Four in return for four."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains al-Fadl bin al-Mukhtar, who is da'if (weak).

Abu Majid al-Hanafi narrates: I was sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) and he said: "And I was mentioning the first man whose hand the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had cut off: a thief was brought and he had his hand cut off. The blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed (that is, he was grieved over it)." The narrator says: The people said: "O Messenger of Allah! It seems you did not like that his hand be cut off." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What could prevent me? Do not be helpers of Satan against your brother. It is proper for the ruler that, when a case (of a prescribed punishment) reaches him, he carries out its punishment. Indeed, Allah Almighty is Pardoning and loves pardon (and He has said:) 'Let them pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah Almighty should forgive you? And Allah Almighty is Forgiving, Merciful.'"
Ahmad recorded it.

In a version he recorded, the wording is: He said: The blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed. The narrator says: It looked as though ashes had been scattered over it.

In one version the wording is: A man came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) with his nephew and said: "This is my nephew, and he has stolen." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I know that the first prescribed punishment (hadd) carried out in Islam was carried out on a woman who had stolen, and her hand was cut off." After that, the narrator related the narration as before. Ahmad recorded all of these narrations, and Abu Ya'la recorded only the narration about the woman, in abridged form; the narrator Abu Majid al-Hanafi is da'if (weak).

Abu Majid al-Hanafi narrates: A man came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) bringing his nephew, who was intoxicated. The man said: "I found him intoxicated." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Shake him so that he comes to his senses." The narrator says: The people shook him and moved him about, and the smell of wine was coming from his mouth. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that he be imprisoned; then the next day he was taken out. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered a whip to be prepared; its tip was removed until it became light. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the flogger: "Flog him, keep your hand held back, and give every limb its due." So the flogger struck him in a way that was not severe, yet was painful. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) had kept him clothed in a cloak (qaba') and trousers, or a shirt and trousers. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said (to his uncle): "By Allah! You are a bad guardian of an orphan. You neither raised him with good upbringing, nor did you conceal this disgraceful matter." He said: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman, he is my nephew; I feel for him the same love that I feel for my own children." Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty loves pardon, but it is not proper for a ruler that a case of a prescribed punishment comes to him and he does not carry it out." Then Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) related from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he said: "The first man among the Muslims whose hand was cut off was from the Ansar. It was said: 'O Messenger of Allah! This man has stolen.'" After that is the hadith as before, which has already passed. The narrator Abu Majid is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a woman stole. The people from whom she had stolen brought her and said: "O Messenger of Allah! This woman has stolen from us." The woman's people said: "We will pay a ransom for her." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Cut off her hand." The people said: "We will give five hundred dinars as her ransom." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Cut off her hand." So the woman's right hand was cut off. The woman said: "O Messenger of Allah! Is there room for repentance for me?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, with regard to this sin of yours you have become as you were on the day your mother gave birth to you." Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse in Surah al-Ma'idah: "Whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, then indeed Allah Almighty accepts his repentance" — to the end of the verse.
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, whose hadith is hasan (good) though there is weakness in him, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Safwan bin Umayyah came to Madinah and slept in the mosque. He placed his sheet (khamisah) under his head. A thief came and stole it. He seized him and brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered that the thief's hand be cut off. Safwan said: "O Messenger of Allah! The sheet is his." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Why did you not do so before bringing him to me?"
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains Ya'qub bin Humayd, whom Ibn Hibban and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), while al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) and others declared him da'if (weak); the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A thief was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The people said: "He has stolen." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I do not think that he has stolen." He said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah! I did steal." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Take him away and cut off his hand, then cauterise it, then bring him to me." He was taken away, his hand was cut off, then it was cauterised (so that the bleeding would stop), then he was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Repent to Allah Almighty." He said: "I repent to Allah Almighty." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated: "May Allah Almighty accept your repentance" (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words were:) "O Allah! Accept his repentance."
Al-Bazzar recorded it from his teacher Ahmad bin Aban al-Qurashi, whom Ibn Hibban declared thiqah (trustworthy); the rest of its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.