Short answer
Stealing is a major sin. The Quran sets cutting off the hand as the fixed (hadd) punishment, but only a lawful Islamic court can apply it, and only after strict conditions are met. For an individual, the duty is to repent and give back what was stolen or its value.
Theft is haram and a major sin. The hadd applies only when the stolen property reaches the minimum value (ten silver dirhams in the Hanafi school), is taken secretly from a secured place, there is no doubt about ownership or entitlement, and it is proven in court by two upright male witnesses or a confession. Repentance requires returning the property.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The minimum value for the hadd is a quarter of a gold dinar.
- Maliki
- The minimum value is a quarter dinar or three silver dirhams.
- Hanbali
- The minimum value is a quarter dinar or three silver dirhams.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said a thief does not steal while he is a believer, meaning faith leaves him at that moment. Stealing from a shop, an employer, a big company, a government or a non-Muslim is just as haram as stealing from a Muslim neighbour.
The hadd. The Quran says the hand of the thief is to be cut off (5:38) and, in the next verse, that Allah turns to whoever repents and reforms (5:39). The jurists set strict conditions before the hadd can apply:
- the property reaches a minimum value and is taken by stealth from a place where it is kept secure;
- there is no doubt, such as a share in the property, a father taking from his son, or theft from public funds;
- it is proven before a lawful Islamic court by two upright witnesses or a confession that is not withdrawn.
Any real doubt drops the hadd, and the judge then gives a lesser penalty. Umar ibn al-Khattab is reported to have suspended it in a year of famine. Individuals and communities never carry it out themselves, and Muslims living under other legal systems follow the law where they live.
Equality before the law. When people tried to win an exemption for a noblewoman, the Prophet ﷺ said that if Fatimah, his own daughter, stole, he would apply the punishment to her.
If you stole something. Repent, and give back the item or its value, openly or anonymously. If the owner has died, give it to the heirs. If you cannot find them at all, give it to the poor on the owner's behalf. The Prophet ﷺ told anyone who had wronged another to settle it today, before the Day when there will be no dinar or dirham. See also Salat al-Tawbah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:38
وَٱلسَّارِقُ وَٱلسَّارِقَةُ فَٱقْطَعُوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَٰلًۭا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ ﴿٣٨﴾
[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.
Sets the hadd for theft.
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:39
فَمَن تَابَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِۦ وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣٩﴾
But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
The door of repentance stays open for the thief.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2475
Sahih... ولا يسرق حين يسرق وهو مؤمن ...
"He does not steal, at the time he steals, while being a believer."
Theft is a major sin that strips away faith at the moment it is done.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4304
Sahih... لو أن فاطمة بنت محمد سرقت لقطعت يدها ...
"If Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand."
The law applies equally to everyone.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2449
Sahih... من كانت له مظلمة لأحد من عرضه أو شيء فليتحلله منه اليوم ...
"Whoever has wronged someone in his honour or anything else should settle it with him today."
Repentance from theft includes returning what was taken.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Sariqa. The minimum value of ten dirhams and the conditions of the hadd.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Sariqa. The doubts that prevent the hadd and the duty to return stolen property.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.