◈ Punishment and Warning for Theft in Light of the Qur’an and Hadith ◈
Written by: Abu al-Asqaʿ
Allāh ﷻ has declared theft as a grievous crime in the Qur’an and has prescribed a severe punishment for it:
﴿وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءًۭ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَالًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾
(Surah al-Mā’idah: 38)
Translation:
“[As for] the thief, male and female, cut off their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.”
This verse clearly establishes the stern legal punishment for theft in Islamic law. It serves not only as a warning to the perpetrator but also as a deterrent to purify society from such crimes.
From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها), the Mother of the Believers, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
"Indeed, those who came before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them stole, they left him, but when a weak person stole, they carried out the punishment upon him. By Allāh! If Fāṭimah, the daughter of Muḥammad, were to steal, I would cut off her hand.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6788, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1688)
This ḥadīth emphasizes the necessity of justice, without favoritism or privilege, even for the closest relatives. It highlights the equality before the law in Islam and the danger of unjust bias that leads nations to ruin.
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer; the thief does not steal while he is a believer; and the one who drinks wine does not drink it while he is a believer…”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5578, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 57)
This ḥadīth shows that major sins, such as theft, negatively affect a person’s faith. While it does not expel the person from Islām, it indicates a serious deficiency in īmān at the time of committing the sin.
✔ Theft is a major and severely condemned crime in Islam, both in the Sharīʿah (Islamic Law) and in the spiritual realm.
✔ The legal punishment of hand amputation in the Qur’an is not symbolic—it is a concrete measure for a serious crime, implemented under strict judicial conditions.
✔ The Prophetic teachings leave no room for partiality, ensuring that justice is upheld in all circumstances.
✔ Theft leads to loss of trust, social unrest, and spiritual decline.
✔ Every Muslim should safeguard themselves from this sin, seek lawful sustenance, and adhere to the commands of Allāh ﷻ to attain success in both this world and the Hereafter.
والله أعلم بالصواب
Written by: Abu al-Asqaʿ
❶ Condemnation and Punishment of Theft in the Noble Qur’an
Allāh ﷻ has declared theft as a grievous crime in the Qur’an and has prescribed a severe punishment for it:
﴿وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَاءًۭ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَالًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾
(Surah al-Mā’idah: 38)
Translation:
“[As for] the thief, male and female, cut off their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.”
This verse clearly establishes the stern legal punishment for theft in Islamic law. It serves not only as a warning to the perpetrator but also as a deterrent to purify society from such crimes.
❷ Severe Warnings in Hadith Regarding Theft
✦ A) No Leniency in Punishment for Theft
From ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها), the Mother of the Believers, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
"Indeed, those who came before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them stole, they left him, but when a weak person stole, they carried out the punishment upon him. By Allāh! If Fāṭimah, the daughter of Muḥammad, were to steal, I would cut off her hand.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6788, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1688)This ḥadīth emphasizes the necessity of justice, without favoritism or privilege, even for the closest relatives. It highlights the equality before the law in Islam and the danger of unjust bias that leads nations to ruin.
✦ B) Effect of Theft on One’s Īmān (Faith)
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer; the thief does not steal while he is a believer; and the one who drinks wine does not drink it while he is a believer…”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5578, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 57)This ḥadīth shows that major sins, such as theft, negatively affect a person’s faith. While it does not expel the person from Islām, it indicates a serious deficiency in īmān at the time of committing the sin.
❖ Conclusion
✔ Theft is a major and severely condemned crime in Islam, both in the Sharīʿah (Islamic Law) and in the spiritual realm.
✔ The legal punishment of hand amputation in the Qur’an is not symbolic—it is a concrete measure for a serious crime, implemented under strict judicial conditions.
✔ The Prophetic teachings leave no room for partiality, ensuring that justice is upheld in all circumstances.
✔ Theft leads to loss of trust, social unrest, and spiritual decline.
✔ Every Muslim should safeguard themselves from this sin, seek lawful sustenance, and adhere to the commands of Allāh ﷻ to attain success in both this world and the Hereafter.
والله أعلم بالصواب
