Hadith Text & Context

"The hand of the thief is to be cut off for one-quarter of a Dinar or more." (Sunan an-Nasa'i 4922)

This Prophetic narration establishes the minimum threshold (nisab) for the application of the divinely prescribed punishment (hadd) for theft, a ruling derived from the Quranic injunction in Surah Al-Ma'idah.

Scholarly Commentary (Tafsir/Sharh)

The scholars have meticulously defined the value of "one-quarter of a Dinar" based on the standard gold Dinar of the Prophetic era, which was equivalent to 4.25 grams of pure gold. Therefore, the nisab is approximately 1.0625 grams of gold. The punishment is not applied for property valued below this amount.

This specific valuation serves a profound wisdom: it establishes a significant threshold to ensure the punishment is a severe deterrent for substantial theft, while showing mercy for minor transgressions, thus balancing the rights of society with divine compassion.

Furthermore, classical jurists stipulate numerous stringent conditions that must be met before this punishment can be applied, including the item being stolen from a secure location (hirz), the thief being a sane adult, and the theft not involving items necessary for survival, among others. This prevents the punishment from being applied hastily or unjustly.

Legal Rulings & Conditions

The ruling applies to the theft of property that is both valuable and legally protected (mal mutaqawwam). It does not apply to the theft of perishable food, items of negligible value, or things taken by necessity.

The punishment is a right of Allah (Haqq Allah) and is generally not subject to pardon by the victim or the ruler once the case has been brought before a legitimate Islamic judicial authority and all conditions are verified beyond doubt.