46 - The Book of Cutting Off the Hand of the Thief (1)

1 - The Severity of Theft

4870 - Al-Rabi' ibn Sulayman informed us, saying: Shu'ayb ibn al-Layth narrated to us, saying: al-Layth narrated to us, from Ibn 'Ajlan, from al-Qa'qa', from Abu Salih.

From Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer, and the thief does not steal while he is a believer, and the wine-drinker does not drink wine while he is a believer, and the plunderer does not seize a plunder of high value toward which people raise their eyes while he is a believer." (2)

4871 - Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna informed us, saying: Ibn Abi 'Adiyy narrated to us, from Shu'bah, from Sulayman. Also: Ahmad ibn Sayyar informed us, saying: 'Abdullah ibn 'Uthman narrated to us, from Abu Hamzah, from al-A'mash, from Abu Salih.

--------------------------------------------
(1) This book appears in (M) earlier, after the Book of Fay', i.e., after hadith (4148).
(2) A sound hadith, and this chain is strong on account of Ibn 'Ajlan—who is Muhammad—for he is truthful, and he has been followed [by others]. Al-Layth: he is Ibn Sa'd, and al-Qa'qa': he is Ibn Hakim, and Abu Salih: he is Dhakwan al-Samman. It is in "Al-Sunan al-Kubra" under number (7314).
It was also recorded—in full and in extended form—by Ahmad (7318), (8202), and (9007), Muslim (57): (103), and Ibn Hibban (5173) through multiple chains from Abu Hurayrah, with it.
It will follow in the next narration via al-A'mash, and in narration (4872) via Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad, both from Abu Salih, with it. In each of them there is an addition, and neither contains: "nor does the plunderer seize a plunder..." to the end of the hadith.
It will also follow under numbers (5659) and (5660) through multiple chains from Abu Hurayrah, with it.
Al-Sindi said: His statement: "nor does the plunderer seize a plunder"—al-nahb is taking openly and by force, and al-nuhbah—with a fatha—is a verbal noun, and with a damma: the plundered property. Its description as being of high value is with regard to its object, which is the property, and its description of people raising their eyes [toward it] is to indicate the hardness of the perpetrator's heart and the lack of his mercy and modesty.