40. Ḥudūd (Punishments)
٤٠۔ كتاب الحدود
The Quraish were anxious about the Makhzumi woman who had committed theft, They said : Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about her ? Then they said: Who will be bold enough for it but Uasmah bin Zaid, the prophet’s ﷺ friend! So Usamah spoke to him, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said : Are you interceding regarding one of the punishments prescribed by Allah ? He then got up and gave an address, saying : What destroyed your predecessors was just that when a person of rank among them committed a theft, They left him alone , and when a weak one of them committed a theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him . I swear by Allah that if Fatimah daughter of Muhammad should steal, I would have her hand cut off.
شَأْنُ الْمَرْأَةِ الْمَخْزُومِيَّةِ الَّتِي سَرَقَتْ فَقَالُوا مَنْ يُكَلِّمُ فِيهَا تَعْنِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالُوا وَمَنْ يَجْتَرِئُ إِلاَّ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ حِبُّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَكَلَّمَهُ أُسَامَةُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا أُسَامَةُ أَتَشْفَعُ فِي حَدٍّ مِنْ حُدُودِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَاخْتَطَبَ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا هَلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا
A Makhzumi woman used to borrow goods and deny having received them, so the prophet ﷺ gave orders that her hand should be cut off. The narrator than transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of al-laith, saying : So the prophet ﷺ had her hand cut off. Abu dawud said: Ibn Wahb transmitted this tradition from Yunus on the authority of al-Zuhri, and in this version he said al-Laith has said: A woman committed theft during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ on the occasion of the Conquest (of Mecca). It has been transmitted by al-Laith from Yunus on the authority of Ibn Shihab through his chain of narrators. He said in this version: A woman borrowed goods. Mas'ud bin al-Aswad also transmitted a similar tradition from the Prophet ﷺ and said: A velvet was stolen from the house of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abu Dawud said: Abu al-Zubair reported on the authority of Jabir: A woman committed theft and took refuge with Zainab daughter of Prophet ﷺ.
كَانَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مَخْزُومِيَّةٌ تَسْتَعِيرُ الْمَتَاعَ وَتَجْحَدُهُ فَأَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِقَطْعِ يَدِهَا وَقَصَّ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ اللَّيْثِ قَالَ فَقَطَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَدَهَا
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ Said: Forgive the people of good qualities their slips, but not faults to which prescribed penalties apply.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَقِيلُوا ذَوِي الْهَيْئَاتِ عَثَرَاتِهِمْ إِلاَّ الْحُدُودَ