29. The Book of Legal Punishments
٢٩۔ كتاب الحدود
The people of Quraish worried about the lady from Bani Makhzum who had committed theft. They asked, "Who will intercede for her with Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" Some said, "No one dare to do so except Usama bin Zaid the beloved one to Messenger of Allah ﷺ ." When Usama spoke about that to Allah's Apostle Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, (to him), "Do you try to intercede for somebody in a case connected with Allah's Prescribed Punishments?" Then he got up and delivered a sermon saying, "What destroyed the nations preceding you, was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah's Legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand."
وَمَنْ يُكَلِّمُ فِيهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا وَمَنْ يَجْتَرِئُ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ حِبُّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَكَلَّمَهُ أُسَامَةُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَتَشْفَعُ فِي حَدٍّ مِنْ حُدُودِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ قَامَ فَاخْتَطَبَ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ ابْنَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا