stealing

8:52:3

2018-05-20

823

Regardless of your faith or belief, there are common behaviours and actions that are forbidden and looked down upon socially. For these actions we don’t necessarily need Allah to tell us that it’s wrong. Our mind is able to judge for itself and come to know that certain behaviours are unacceptable. An example of these actions is stealing. Regardless of what country you’re living in or what religion you belong too, stealing is wrong, and no one can argue with that.

In Islam specifically stealing is greatly forbidden, and Allah greatly condemns it. In the Holy Quran Allah says "As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power."

For this specific verse there is a lot of argument and misconceptions. First of all there are many conditions, and the conditions are very complex, that coming to this type of verdict is very rare. What we want to take is the intensity of stealing and how Allah doesn’t take it lightly.

Stealing doesn’t necessarily mean robbing your neighbour’s house in the middle of the night. Denying your wife her dower, not repaying one’s debts, not paying one’s obligatory zakat and so on, are also examples of theft, but the meaning that immediately comes to mind upon hearing of theft, is ‘taking into possession the property and wealth of others, secretly and deceptively’ . This is the meaning which is actually intended here.

Stealing causes a sense of uneasiness and anxiety in one’s community, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s forbidden. It is for the purpose of establishing and maintaining security that Islam has ordered a thief’s fingers to be severed.

A person approached Imam ‘Ali (as) and confessed that he had committed a theft.

“Are you able to recite something from the Noble Qur’an?” Imam (as) asked him.

“Yes, I know the chapter al-Baqarah,” replied the man.

The Imam (as) said, “I forgive you because of the chapter al-Baqarah.” Ash’ath Ibn Qais, who happened to witness this, asked the Imam (as) whether he could repeal a punishment that had been stipulated by Allah.

“What do you know? If a person confesses to his crime, an Imam has the authority to either punish him or pardon him, but if two persons testify to a person’s crime, it is not permissible to annul the punishment (and pardon him),” the Imam (as) retorted.

Imam Riďa (a.s.) has included stealing among the Greater sins according to the tradition reported by Fazl Ibn Shazān. Amash says that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has related from the Holy Prophet (S) that he said,

“A believer cannot commit fornication and a believer cannot steal.”

Thus one who fornicates or steals is not a believer. Stealing even the smallest of things is unacceptable. Stealing is absolutely Harām even if it is for a worthless object. To steal even a needle is Harām. However, the hands of a thief are cut only, if in addition to all the necessary conditions the value of the stolen goods exceeds a quarter misqal of gold.

With that said we pray that Allah Guides us on the right path, and give us the strength to not help ourselves to other people’s belongings.