1075 – ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about hanging dates. He said: “Whoever, out of need, eats some of them with his mouth alone, without gathering them into the fold of his garment, incurs no liability. Whoever carries any of them away must pay compensation and face punishment; and whoever removes any of them after they have been taken to the drying yard, and the amount equals the price of a shield, must have his hand amputated.” Recorded by Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasāʾī, and declared authentic by al-Ḥākim.⦗1⦘

Status of the hadith: Al-Ḥākim graded it ṣaḥīḥ; al-Tirmidhī judged it ḥasan. It was transmitted by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, and al-Ḥākim through the chain of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather.

Vocabulary of the hadith:
• khuḍna: the fold of one’s waist-wrapper or the edge of a garment—i.e., he must not place any of the dates inside his garment.
• compensation: the thief must reimburse the owner, either by returning the very item or by paying its equivalent value.
• punishment: the ḥadd of amputation if all its conditions are fulfilled, or a discretionary chastisement if any condition is lacking.
• jarīn: the place where dates are laid out to dry, cleaned, and freed from their stalks and husks.