Narrations and Authentic References
From ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: لَمْ تُقْطَعُ يَدُ سَارِقٍ...
ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) reported:
During the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a thief’s hand was not cut off for stealing an item of lesser value than that of a shield or a saddle — both of which were considered valuable possessions.
Reference:
[Bukhārī: 6894, 1685; Muslim: 1287]
Also from ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
لَا تُقْطَعُ يَدُ السَّارِقِ إِلَّا فِي رُبُعِ دِينَارٍ فَصَاعِدًا
She narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“A thief’s hand is not to be cut off except for stealing a quarter of a Dīnār or more.”
Reference:
[Bukhārī: 6792, 6790, 6889; Muslim: 1684]
From Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا قَطَعَ سَارِقًا فِي مِحْنٍ، قِيمَتُهُ ثَلَاثَةُ دَرَاهِم
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ ordered the hand of a thief to be cut off for stealing a shield valued at three dirhams.
Reference:
[Bukhārī: 6898, 6795; Muslim: 1286]
Key Takeaways and Legal Points
❶ Islam has set specific thresholds (nisaab) for enforcing ḥadd punishments, including theft.❷ According to the strongest opinion among scholars, the minimum value for which a thief’s hand is to be amputated is a quarter of a Dīnār or its equivalent.
❸ There is some scholarly difference regarding this threshold:
• The most authentic and closer-to-Sunnah view is that the threshold is one-quarter of a Dīnār or three dirhams in value.
• Scholars of Ḥijāz and the Shāfiʿī school follow this view.
• The Ḥanafīs consider the threshold to be ten dirhams.
❹ The quarter of a Dīnār and three dirhams represent equivalent values in their weight at that time.
❺ If the stolen item meets or exceeds the value of a quarter Dīnār, then the thief’s hand must be cut.
• If it is less, then discretionary punishment (taʿzīr) may be applied, but not amputation.
• There is no upper limit — as long as the stolen item is worth at least a quarter Dīnār.
❻ This demonstrates that many modern thieves would, in a system enforcing divine law, be eligible for the ḥadd punishment. Unfortunately, such divine rulings are disregarded in many places today.
Source:This content is adapted from Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Imām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām by Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Abī al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Maḥmūd Aḥmad Ghaẓnfar.
