46/18. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4983 — Weak Report on Thief's Hand
Hanging the thief's hand from his neck
Hadith About Thief's Hand and Hadith Reliability
Sunan an-Nasai : 4983
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4983
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْمُقَدَّمِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَجَّاجُ، عَنْ مَكْحُولٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مُحَيْرِيزٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِفَضَالَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ أَرَأَيْتَ تَعْلِيقَ الْيَدِ فِي عُنُقِ السَّارِقِ مِنَ السُّنَّةِ هُوَ قَالَ نَعَمْ أُتِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِسَارِقٍ فَقَطَعَ يَدَهُ وَعَلَّقَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ . قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحَجَّاجُ بْنُ أَرْطَاةَ ضَعِيفٌ وَلاَ يُحْتَجُّ بِحَدِيثِهِ .
'Abdur-Rahman bin Muhairiz Narrated from:
I said to Fadalah bin 'Ubaid: 'Do you think that hanging the hand from the thief's neck is Sunnah?' He said: 'Yes; a thief was brought to the Messenger of Allah and he cut off his hand and hung it from his neck.' (Daif) Abu 'Abdur-Rahman (An-Nasai) said; Al-Hajjaj bin Artah is weak, his narrations are not used as proof.
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4983In-book reference : Book 46, Hadith 113English translation : Vol. 5, Book 46, Hadith 4986
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4983
This hadith about thief punishment is very close to the previous narration. Abdur-Rahman bin Muhairiz asked Fadalah bin Ubaid whether hanging the hand from the thief's neck was Sunnah. Fadalah said yes, and the report says that a thief was brought to the Messenger of Allah, who cut off his hand and hung it from his neck. The provided text marks the narration as Daif. Abu Abdur-Rahman An-Nasai also adds that Al-Hajjaj bin Artah is weak and that his narrations are not used as proof. That note is part of the teaching here: a reader should not only read the text, but also notice the stated reliability warning.
What we learn from this hadith
- The narration repeats a report about the thief's hand being hung.
- An-Nasai clearly warns that Al-Hajjaj bin Artah is weak.
- Hadith reliability matters when learning from legal reports.
