Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (6/289)

Tawḍīḥ al-AḥkāmAbd Allah al-Bassam

What may be drawn from the ḥadīth:

1 – The back-story: Ṣafwān ibn Umayya was asleep when a man came and took his cloak from beneath his head. Ṣafwān brought the thief to the Prophet ﷺ, who ordered that the thief’s hand be severed. Ṣafwān said, “I pardon him and waive my claim,” whereupon the Prophet ﷺ remarked, “Why did you not do that before you brought him to me?!”

2 – The bedding that lies beneath a sleeping person—or is with him while he sleeps—is regarded as being kept in a ḥirz (secure custody); therefore, stealing from it warrants the amputation of the thief’s hand.

3 – A cloak, and anything of equivalent monetary value, reaches the niṣāb (minimum amount) that incurs the hand-cutting penalty for theft.

4 – Intercession on behalf of a thief, or an attempt to waive his ḥadd after the case has reached the ruler, does not annul the prescribed punishment; it must still be executed.

5 – Intercession and concealing the thief’s crime before the matter reaches the imām (ruler) are permissible and, if accepted, remove the penalty.

6 – The reports differ as to where Ṣafwān was sleeping when his cloak was stolen: some say he was lying in the open plain of al-Baṭḥāʾ, others say it was in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, and others say it was in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

7 – Ṣafwān ibn Umayya al-Jumhī was one of Quraysh’s nobles. He embraced Islam a few days after the Conquest of Mecca and was present at Ḥunayn while still an unbeliever. The Prophet ﷺ then gave him a large sum of wealth, classifying him among those whose hearts were to be reconciled. When he later embraced Islam, his faith proved sound. He remained in Mecca—emigration from it having ended with its conquest—and continued there as an honored leader until his death in 42 AH, may Allah be pleased with him.

8 – Shaykh al-Islām stated that those suspected of theft, highway robbery, and the like fall into three categories:
a. A person known for religious commitment and piety, not among the people of suspicion; such a person is released.
b. One whose status is unknown; he is detained until his case and circumstances become clear. The basis for this is the report recorded by Abū Dāwūd: “The Prophet ﷺ detained a man on suspicion,” a ruling explicitly affirmed by the jurists.

* ما يؤخذ من الحديث: ١ - قصة الحديث: أنَّ صفوان بن أمية كان نائمًا؛ إذ جاء إنسان، فأخذ رداءه من تحت رأسه، فأتى صفوان بالسارق للنبي ﷺ، فأمر بقطعه، فقال صفوان: إني أعفو وأتجاوز، فقال: "فهلا كان ذلك قبل أن تأتيني به؟! ". ٢ - أنَّ فراش النائم تحته أو معه أثناء نومه هو في حرز، يقطع فيه يد السارق. ٣ - أنَّ الرداء وما يساويه من مال هو نصاب تقطع فيه يد السارق. ٤ - أنَّ الشفاعة في السارق، أو إسقاط حده فيها بعد أن تبلغ ولي الأمر -لا تُسقط الحد، بل يجب تنفيذه. ٥ - أنَّ الشفاعة والستر على السارق قبل أن تبلغ الإمام جائزة، ومسقطة للحد. ٦ - اختلفت الروايات -هل كان صفوان بن أمية نائمًا لما سُرق رداؤه؟ فقيل: هو مضطجع بالبطحاء، وقيل: في المسجد الحرام، وقيل: في مسجد المدينة. ٧ - صفوان بن أمية الجحمي من أشراف قريش، أسلم بعد فتح مكة بأيام، وشهد حُنَينًا، وهو على كفره، وأعطاه النبي ﷺ مالاً جزيلاً، فهو من المؤلفة قلوبهم، ولما أسلم حسن إسلامه، وأقام بمكة؛ لأنَّ الهجرة من مكة انتهت بفتحها، ولم يزل شريفًا مطاعًا فيها، حتى مات سنة اثنتين وأربعين، ﵁. ٨ - قال شيخ الإسلام: المتَّهم في السرقة، وقاطع الطريق، ونحو ذلك ثلاثة أصناف: الأول: معروف بالدِّين والورع، وليس من أهل التُّهم، فهذا يُخلَّى سبيله. الثانى: مجهول الحال، فهذا يحبس، حتى يكشف أمره وحاله، والأصل في ذلك ما رواه أبو داود: "أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ حَبَسَ في تُهْمَة"، وقَد نصَّ على ذلك الأئمة.