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Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 38: meaning and tafsir
وَٱلسَّارِقُ وَٱلسَّارِقَةُ فَٱقْطَعُوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَٰلًا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ٣٨
As for the thief, male or female, amputate their hands as a deterrent punishment[35] from Allah for what they have done. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Translation of the meanings: Rowwad Translation Center — version 1.0.19 · QuranEnc.com
[35] Nakāl (deterrence) is penalization set as an example for others; it is called nakāl because it deters both the perpetrator and others from committing it.
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Al-Mukhtasar: Abridged Explanation of the Quran
Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies · QuranEnc.com
38. As for those who are caught stealing, those in authority are to cut off the right hand of the male and female thief as a punishment from Allah for the crime of wrongfully taking people’s wealth, and to serve as a lesson and deterrent for them, as well as others. Allah is Mighty and nothing can overpower His decree. He is Wise in His decree and legislation.
Quran text: Tanzil Project (Tanzil Quran Text, Uthmani v1.1, CC BY 3.0). The translation and tafsir are quoted word for word, unchanged, from the Noble Quran Encyclopedia, QuranEnc.com, each credited to its source. Details on our sources page. These texts are quoted exactly as published; no answer is written by AI. Quran Chat does not issue fatwas.