Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 1870 — The punishment for theft

It is narrated from Sulayman bin Yasar (may Allah have mercy on him) that a boy who had committed theft was brought before the Commander of the Believers, Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him). He (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered him to be measured, and his height was found to be six spans less one fingertip, so he (may Allah be pleased with him) refrained from (carrying out the hadd, owing to the doubt about his being a minor), and in connection with this he became known by the name 'Numaylah' (the one of the fingertip).
From this report the jurists infer that the offender's having reached the age of maturity is a condition for carrying out the hadd punishments, and that in that era physical measurement was also regarded as one criterion for recognising maturity.