“How much do you love him?” They replied, “He is dearer to us than our own families.” He asked, “How does he discipline you?” They replied, “With between three and ten lashes.” He said, “Such is the awe he inspires, such is your love for him, and such is his discipline. This is surely from heaven (1)!”

When his hand is amputated, the stump is cauterized. It is recommended (2) that the severed hand be hung from his neck (3). If he steals a second time, his left foot is amputated. If he steals a third and then a fourth time, the Companions and the scholars who came after them held two views:

The first is that all four of his limbs are to be amputated, the remaining two for the third and fourth offenses. This was the view of Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—and the position adopted by al-Shāfiī and by Ahmad in one of the two reports from him (4).

The second is that he is to be imprisoned. This was the view of Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—and the Kufan scholars, as well as the position adopted by Abū Hanīfa (5) and by Ahmad in the other report.

His hand is amputated only if the stolen property reaches the minimum legal value. According to the majority of scholars from the Hijaz, the hadith scholars, and others, this is a quarter of a dinar or three dirhams; among them were Mālik and al-Shāfiī