46/10. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4938 — Theft Law and Shield Value
Mentioning the Differences Reported by Abu Bakr bin Muhammad and 'Abdullah bin Abi Bakr From 'Amrah In This Hadith
Shield Value and Theft Threshold in Hadith
Sunan an-Nasai : 4938
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4938
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي قُدَامَةُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي مَخْرَمَةُ بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ أَبِي الْوَلِيدِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عُرْوَةَ بْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ، يَقُولُ كَانَتْ عَائِشَةُ تُحَدِّثُ عَنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " لاَ تُقْطَعُ الْيَدُ إِلاَّ فِي الْمِجَنِّ أَوْ ثَمَنِهِ " . وَزَعَمَ أَنَّ عُرْوَةَ قَالَ الْمِجَنُّ أَرْبَعَةُ دَرَاهِمَ . قَالَ وَسَمِعْتُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ يَسَارٍ، يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَمْرَةَ، تَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ، تُحَدِّثُ أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لاَ تُقْطَعُ الْيَدُ إِلاَّ فِي رُبُعِ دِينَارٍ فَمَا فَوْقَهُ " .
'Uthman bin Abi Al-Walid Narrated from:
I heard 'Urwah bin Az-Zubair say: "Aishah used to narrate that he Prophet of Allah said: The hand (of the thief) should not be cut off except for a shield or its equivalent in value. And he said that 'Urwah said: A shield is (worth) four Dirhams. And he (the narrator) said: I heard sulaiman bin Yasar say that he heard 'Amrah say: I heard 'Aishah narrate that she heard the Messenger of Allah say: The hand (of the thief) should not be cut off except for four Dinars or more."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4938, 4939In-book reference : Book 46, Hadith 69English translation : Vol. 5, Book 46, Hadith 4942
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4938
This Hadith brings together two related reports on theft law. People often search for the shield value four dirhams theft hadith because this wording mentions a shield or its equivalent value, and it also says that Urwah stated the shield was worth four Dirhams. The supplied English wording then gives another report from Aishah about the hand not being cut off except for the stated amount or more. The Arabic text in that second report reads one-quarter of a Dinar, so the explanation should stay careful and not build extra claims from the wording. The main message is that the narration speaks about a value threshold for theft. It does not discuss every legal condition, court process, or exception, so the content should not go beyond the report.
What we learn from this hadith
- The narration mentions a shield or its equivalent value.
- Urwah is reported as saying the shield was worth four Dirhams.
- The report also connects the ruling to a stated minimum amount.
- Care is needed because the supplied wording has more than one value expression.
