189 - السرقة

189. STEALING

941 - السَّرِقَةِ وَحَدُّها

941. STEALING AND ITS LEGAL PUNISHMENT

(والسَّارِقُ والسَّارِقَةُ فاقْطَعُوا أيدِيَهُما جَزاءً بِما كَسَبا نَكالاً مِنَ اللَّهِ واللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ) .¹

"As for the thief, man or woman, cut off their hands as requital for what they have earned. [That is] an exemplary punishment from Allah, and Allah is all-mighty, all-wise." ²

2996.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ السَّرِقَةَ لِما فِيه[ا ]مِن فَسادِ الأموالِ وقَتلِ النَّفسِ لَو كانَت مُباحَةً ، ولِما يَأتي في التَّغاصُبِ مِنَ القَتلِ والتَّنازُعِ والتَّحاسُدِ ، وما يَدعُو إلى تَركِ التِّجاراتِ والصِّناعاتِ في المَكاسِبِ ، واقتِناءِ الأموالِ إذا كانَ الشَّي‏ءُ المُقتَنى‏ لا يكونُ أحَدٌ أحَقَّ بِهِ مِن أحَدٍ ...
وعِلَّةُ قَطعِ اليَمينِ مِنَ السّارِقِ ؛ لأ نّهُ يُباشِرُ الأشياءَ بِيَمِينِهِ ، وهِي أفضَلُ أعضائهِ وأنفَعُها لَهُ ، فَجُعِلَ قَطعُها نَكالاً وعِبرَةً لِلخَلقِ لِئلّا يَبتَغُوا أخذَ الأموالِ مِن غَيرِ حِلِّها ، ولأ نّهُ أكثَرَ ما يُباشِرُ السَّرِقَةَ بيَمينِهِ .³

2996.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, 'Allah has prohibited stealing because of the financial corruption and murder that would ensue were it to be permissible; and because of all other aggressive crimes that would result such as murder, fighting, and jealous hostilities, and because it would lead to the abandonment of fair trade and industry for earning a living, in exchange for extortion of property where nobody would have rightful ownership of anything [and everything was available for the taking].'
And the reason why the right hand of the thief is to be severed [as punishment] is because he steals things with his right hand, and because it is the best and most useful limb out of all his limbs, so its severing has been prescribed to serve as a deterrent and a lesson to mankind that they must not desire to seize anything that does not belong to them. And because most of the time the theft is committed with the right hand.' ⁴

940 - ما لا يُعَدُّ مِنَ الإسرافِ‏

940. That Which is Not Counted As Waste

2993.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لا خَيرَ في السَّرَفِ ، ولا سَرَفَ في الخَيرِ .¹

2993.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'There is nothing of good to be found in waste, and nothing of waste to be found in good.'²

2994.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : لَيسَ فيما أصلَحَ البَدَنَ إسرافٌ... إنّما الإسرافُ فيما أتلَفَ المالَ وأضَرَّ بالبَدَنِ.³

2994.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'There is no waste in anything that improves the body...rather waste is found in all that squanders away wealth and harms the body.' ⁴

2995.الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام - وقد سُئلَ عَن عَشَرَةِ أقْمِصَةٍ هَل ذلكَ مِنَ السَّرَفِ - : لا ، ولكن ذلكَ أبقى‏ لِثِيابِهِ ، ولكنَّ السَّرَفَ أن تَلبَسَ ثَوبَ صَونِكَ في المكانِ القَذِرِ .⁵

2995. Imam al-Kazim (AS), when asked about whether owning ten shirts was considered a waste, replied, 'No, and in fact that is more conducive to longer wear of your clothes. Waste is when you wear your formal finery to unclean places [as casual wear].' ⁶