The Meaning of the Hadith: “May Allah curse the thief who steals an egg”

Question:
The questioner asks: What is the meaning of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ?

Answer:
Yes, this is a valid hadith . However, as mentioned previously, the minimum threshold (nisab) must be reached. An egg does not reach the nisab, nor does a rope. They said that this hadith falls under the category of deterring people from theft. It is like the hadith about one who builds a mosque for Allah the size of a bird’s footprint, even though it is known that a bird’s footprint cannot accommodate anyone. But that is in the category of encouraging the building of mosques. Similarly, the hadith about stealing an egg or a rope is in the category of deterring people from theft. Or, if one becomes accustomed to stealing an egg, he will gradually proceed until he steals something for which his hand is cut off in the end. This is recorded for the sake of blocking the means to harm (sadd al-dhara'i').