= Narrations of the hadith, and it is supported by the narration of al-Bayhaqi 8/262–263 that the boy who stole belonged to his uncle, Wasi' ibn Hibban, and he is the master whose name is left unspecified in this narration. Yahya ibn Sa'id: he is Ibn Qays al-Ansari.

It is in the Muwatta' of Malik 2/839.

Al-Nasa'i also transmitted it in al-Kubra (7407) via the route of Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Qattan, and (7408) via the route of Hammad ibn Zayd, and (7409) via the route of Zuhayr ibn Mu'awiyah, and (7410) via the route of Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj, and (7411) via the route of Abu Mu'awiyah, and (7412) and (7413) via the route of Sufyan al-Thawri—all six of them from Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari.

Al-Tirmidhi (1515) and al-Nasa'i (7415) transmitted it via the route of al-Layth ibn Sa'd, and al-Nasa'i (7414) via the route of Sufyan al-Thawri—both of them from Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari, from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Hibban, from his uncle Wasi' ibn Hibban, from Rafi' ibn Khadij. Thus the intermediary between Muhammad ibn Yahya and Rafi' ibn Khadij is mentioned, namely Wasi' ibn Hibban, who is either a Companion or a trustworthy Successor. Accordingly, the chain of transmission is connected.

Zuhayr ibn Muhammad followed al-Layth and al-Thawri in this narration, as found in al-Tayalisi (958).

It is in the Musnad of Ahmad (15804).

See also what follows it.

Al-Khattabi said: al-wadi is young palm trees, its singular being wadiyyah, and al-kathar is the palm heart (meaning the core of the palm tree).

Then al-Khattabi said: The meaning of "fruit" in this hadith is what is hanging on the palm trees before it is cut and stored. Al-Shafi'i interpreted it, saying: The orchards of Medina are not a secure place, and most of them are entered from their sides. Whoever steals something of hanging fruit from an orchard is not amputated, but when it is gathered into the threshing floor (al-jarin being the threshing floor), he is amputated. He did not distinguish between fruit and moist food, and between dirhams and dinars and all other goods, regarding the thief—if he steals something from them from a secure place or an insecure place, and its value reaches what warrants amputation of the hand—then he is amputated.

Malik said regarding fruit the same as al-Shafi'i's opinion. Abu Hanifah followed the apparent meaning of the hadith of Rafi' ibn Khadij, and thus dropped the amputation from whoever stole fruit or palm heart, whether from a secure place or an insecure place, and analogized to them all other moist fruits, meats, cheeses, milks, beverages, and everything else of similar nature. =