أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَی بْنُ زَکَرِيَّا بْنِ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً سَرَقَتْ عَلَی عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالُوا مَا نُکَلِّمُهُ فِيهَا مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُکَلِّمُهُ إِلَّا حِبُّهُ أُسَامَةُ فَکَلَّمَهُ فَقَالَ يَا أُسَامَةُ إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ هَلَکُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا کَانَ إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمْ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَکُوهُ وَإِنْ سَرَقَ فِيهِمْ الدُّونُ قَطَعُوهُ وَإِنَّهَا لَوْ کَانَتْ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ لَقَطَعْتُهَا
سنن نسائی · Hadith 4912
It was narrated from ‘Aishah that a woman stole at the time of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم and they said: “We cannot speak to him concerning her; there is no one who can speak to him except his beloved, Usamah.” So he spoke to him, and he said: “Usamah, the Children of Israel were destroyed for such a thing. Whenever a noble person among them stole, they would let him go, but if a low-class person among them stole, they would cut off his hand. If it were Fatimah bint Muhammad (who stole), I would cut off her hand.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020