وَٱلسَّارِقُ وَٱلسَّارِقَةُ فَٱقْطَعُوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَـٰلًا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ 38
Translations
[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they earned [i.e., committed] as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.
Transliteration
Wa-al-sariq wa-al-saariqa fa-aqta'u aydiyahuma jaza'an bima kasaba nakalan min Allah wa-Allah 'azizun hakimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah prescribes the hudud punishment of hand-cutting for both male and female thieves as a recompense for their crime and as a deterrent from Allah. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this punishment is applied only when specific stringent conditions are met: the theft must be of a minimum amount (nisab), from a secure place (hirz), without necessity or duress, and with full legal capacity of the thief. The ayah's mention of both genders emphasizes the equality of legal accountability before Islamic law.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Ma'idah, the final revealed surah (revealed in Madinah during the later period of the Prophet's life), establishing comprehensive legal and ethical codes for the Muslim community. The context follows verses discussing justice, witnesses, and other hudud punishments, forming part of the Qur'an's systematic presentation of the Islamic penal system.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The hand should be cut off for stealing a quarter of a dinar or more.' Additionally, Sunan Abu Dawud records that the Prophet refused to cut off the hand of a thief who stole from the Bayt al-Mal (state treasury), indicating the specific conditions required for this punishment's application.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true justice in Islamic law balances mercy with accountability, and that such severe punishments serve primarily as deterrents and are applied rarely—reminding modern Muslims that Islamic penal law prioritizes prevention, rehabilitation, and specific rigid conditions before implementation.