114 Page Notes

05 Surah Al-Maidah (continued)

Page 114 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

5:37

5:38

5:39

5:40

5:41

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 114 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 114 of the standard Uthmani Mushaf covers Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5), verses 37 through 41.

This page concludes a warning on the permanence of the Hellfire, details the Islamic penal law (Hudud) regarding theft, establishes the conditions for repentance, and addresses the political and theological deceptions of hypocrites and opposing religious factions in Medina.

The Hadith literature and Prophetic Sunnah provide direct context for the legislation of these legal boundaries, the specific reasons for revelation, and practical applications by the Prophet ﷺ.

1. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 38: The Penal Law on Theft (Sariqah)

"As for the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." (5:38)

The Prophetic Sunnah provides the essential judicial constraints, thresholds, and execution guidelines for this verse, ensuring it is not applied indiscriminately.

The Minimum Value Threshold (Nisab)

The bare text of the Quran does not state the minimum value of stolen goods required to trigger this severe penalty. The Sunnah explicitly defines this baseline threshold to protect the poor and prevent extreme punishments for trivial items:

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The hand of a thief should not be cut off except for a quarter of a dinar or more."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 86, Hadith 6789); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1684).

Equal Application Under the Law

The Sunnah emphasizes that the penal laws of Allah must be applied strictly and without nepotism or class discrimination. When a noble woman from the Makhzum tribe committed theft, some companions tried to intercede through Usama bin Zayd to spare her from the punishment. The Prophet ﷺ became deeply upset and delivered a famous sermon:

"The kingdoms before you were destroyed because if a noble person among them stole, they would let him go, but if a weak person among them stole, they would inflict the legal punishment upon him. By Allah! If Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would have her hand cut off."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 3475); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1688).

The Definition of a Safe Space (Hirz)

The Sunnah clarifies that for an act to legally constitute theft (Sariqah), the item must be taken from a secure storage space (Hirz). Safwan ibn Umayya was sleeping in the mosque using his cloak as a pillow. A thief sneaked in and snatched it from underneath his head. The man was caught and brought to the Prophet ﷺ, who ordered his hand to be amputated because the item was taken directly from a person's secure custody (Sunan An-Nasa'i, Hadith 4882).

2. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 39: The Effect of Repentance

"But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (5:39)

Judicial Punishment vs. Spiritual Forgiveness

The Sunnah addresses a critical legal question: if a thief repents after being caught, does it waive the worldly legal penalty? The Sunnah teaches that while worldly legal consequences (Hadd) must still be executed by the state to preserve social order, true repentance completely cleanses the individual's spiritual record before Allah.

In the case of the Makhzumi woman mentioned above, the companion Aisha noted her subsequent spiritual transformation:

"After that, she repented sincerely and got married. She used to come to me later on, and I would convey her needs to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 6788).

3. Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 41: Deception and Hypocrisy in Medina

"O Messenger, let them not grieve you who hasten into disbelief of those who say, 'We believe' with their mouths, but their hearts believe not, and from among the Jews. [They are] avid listeners to falsehood, avid listeners to another people who have not come to you. They distort words from their [proper] usages..." (5:41)

The Reason for Revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul)

Verse 41 was revealed when certain tribal leaders in Medina attempted to manipulate the Prophet’s judicial authority to bypass the strict legal punishments found in their own scriptures.

The companion Abdullah ibn Umar narrated: "The Jews came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and mentioned to him that a man and a woman from among them had committed adultery. The Prophet ﷺ asked them, 'What do you find in the Torah regarding stoning?' They replied, 'We announce their crime and scourge them with ropes.'

Abdullah bin Salam (a former rabbi) said, 'You are lying; the Torah contains the verse of stoning.' They brought the Torah and unrolled it, but one of them placed his hand over the verse of stoning and read what was before it and after it. Abdullah bin Salam said, 'Lift your hand!' He lifted his hand, and behold, the verse of stoning was clearly there. They then admitted, 'He has spoken the truth, O Muhammad; the verse of stoning is in it.' The Prophet ﷺ then ordered that both of them be stoned to death."

• Source: Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 60, Hadith 4556); Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1699).

The phrase "[They] distort words from their proper usages" in verse 41 refers directly to this attempt to cover up the text of the Torah and misrepresent the law to the Prophet ﷺ in hopes of a lighter sentence.

References

• Al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. Sahih al-Bukhari (Chapters: Kitab al-Hudud / Punishments; Kitab al-Tafsir / Prophetic Commentary).

• Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Sahih Muslim (Chapters: Kitab al-Hudud / Legal Penalties).

• Ibn Kathir, Ismail ibn Umar. Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azeem (Volume 3, Exegesis of Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verses 37–41).

• Al-Nasa'i, Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb. Sunan An-Nasa'i (Book of the Cutting Off of the Thief's Hand).