46/5. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4884 — Let Him Go Before
Stealing Something that Is Kept In A Protected Place
Hadith About Letting Go Before Reporting Theft
Sunan an-Nasai : 4884
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4884
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَسَدُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا - وَذَكَرَ، - حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ، أَنَّهُ سُرِقَتْ خَمِيصَتُهُ مِنْ تَحْتِ رَأْسِهِ وَهُوَ نَائِمٌ فِي مَسْجِدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخَذَ اللِّصَّ فَجَاءَ بِهِ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَمَرَ بِقَطْعِهِ فَقَالَ صَفْوَانُ أَتَقْطَعُهُ قَالَ " فَهَلاَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَنِي بِهِ تَرَكْتَهُ " .
Safwan bin Umayyah Narrated from:
A Khamisah was stolen from beneath his head while he slept in the Masjid of the Prophet. He caught there thief and brought him to the Prophet, who ordered that his hand be cut off. Safwan said: "Are you going to cut off his hand?" He said "Why didn't you let him go before you b brought him to me?" (Daif)
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4884In-book reference : Book 46, Hadith 15English translation : Vol. 5, Book 46, Hadith 4888
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4884
This narration says that Safwan's Khamisah was stolen from beneath his head while he slept in the Masjid of the Prophet. He caught the thief and brought him to the Prophet, who ordered that his hand be cut off. Safwan then questioned the punishment, and the Prophet asked why he had not left the man before bringing him. The meaning is direct and practical. A person may feel mercy, regret, or hesitation, but those feelings should guide the decision before the case is taken to authority. This hadith about a stolen garment also shows that theft was treated as a serious wrong, not just a private inconvenience.
What we learn from this hadith
- Mercy or pardon should be acted on before reporting the case.
- Catching a thief and bringing him forward begins a serious legal process.
- The stolen item being under Safwan's head shows the act was not accidental in the narration.
- The text warns against changing one's mind only after a legal order is given.
