Cutting off the hand of the thief and stoning the fornicator is worse for the thief and the fornicator in terms of the cutting of the hand and the taking of the soul, but it is better for them from another angle.
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The Shaykh :"Cutting off the hand of the thief and stoning the fornicator is worse for the thief and the fornicator". So, the hand of the thief is cut off; this is worse, is it not? Good. The married fornicator is stoned; this is worse, because he dies, but it is better for them from another angle.
Pay attention. The first example: corruption on earth, when it is worse in its place, is better in another place.
The second example is both good and bad at the same time, in its place, but it is better for them from another angle, in that it serves as expiation for them. Indeed, these hudud (fixed punishments) expiate sins, so that they are not subjected to both the punishment of this world and the punishment of the Hereafter. If the hand of the thief is cut off without repentance, that becomes expiation for him from the punishment in the Hereafter. But if he repents, the matter is clear: the punishment in the Hereafter is lifted from him. The same is said regarding the fornicator.
Then, they are also better in another place. Cutting off the hand of the thief and stoning the fornicator is better in another place, in that it protects wealth, honor, and lineage. What protects wealth? Cutting off the hand of the thief. Every person knows that if he steals, his hand will be cut off, so he will leave off stealing. Likewise, fornication protects honor and protects lineage. Every person knows that if he fornicates while married and is stoned, he will not fornicate. So, we thereby preserve the honor of the children of Adam and we preserve their lineage, because if a person were to fornicate whenever he wished, lineages would become mixed, and it would not be known whether a child is from lawful intercourse or unlawful intercourse.
If someone were to say: Which is more important, bodies or wealth? Bodies. But the public benefit outweighs the private benefit. Protecting people's wealth is a public protection, and cutting off the hand of the thief is, yes, private, meaning: private corruption, or private harm. So, general matters take precedence over private ones. For this reason, we cut off the hand of the thief because he stole a quarter of a dinar. A quarter of a dinar, his hand is cut off. If he steals a quarter of a dinar, a quarter of a dinar is approximately twenty-five riyals or less, his hand is cut off. If a wrongdoer were to cut it off, how much would we oblige him to pay? Half the blood money, fifty camels. Fifty camels. How is this? How can the value of a hand be fifty camels, and if it is stolen, take a camel and it is cut off?
We say: As for the first, it is protection for bodies and souls, and as for the second, it is protection for wealth. Yes. For this reason, some scholars said: Cutting off the hand of the thief for a quarter of a dinar is protection for wealth, and making its blood money half the blood money of a soul is protection for souls. And this is the truth.
The discussion on the six fundamentals has ended. They are: faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil. These are the fundamentals of faith upon which the people of the Sunnah and the community built their faith. So, what are the fruits of this creed?
This creed, in reality, bears noble fruits for whoever listens and is a witness, for whoever has a heart or listens and is a witness.
Many people, may Allah not make us among them, read these pillars and master them completely, but as theoretical matters that do not bear good behavior and a sound methodology. Theoretically, faith in Allah entails such and such, faith in the angels entails such and such, faith in the books entails such and such, faith in the messengers entails such and such, faith in the Last Day entails such and such, faith in the divine decree entails such and such. It is a known concept. But for many people, this faith does not bear correct behavior; it does not bear it. If you want to see, look at this boiling world that enters schools, institutes, and universities. Nations. If these nations truly applied what they read, the people would become the people of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. But the reality is that all our studies are merely theoretical studies. The proof of this is that the student reads that dutifulness to parents is obligatory. Does he treat his parents well? Never. I am not saying this about everyone, praise be to Allah, there are good people, but the common people. He reads that maintaining family ties is obligatory. Does every person maintain his family ties? Most of those we know do not maintain their family ties. He visits his friend in the evening and in the morning, but he does not visit his relative except once a year, and on occasions. Where is the application? Lying: every student knows that lying is forbidden, and yet he lies. He lies in his day. For example, he is late for the lesson. The teacher asks, "Why are you late?" He says, "By Allah, my father kept me busy," and his father did not see him or anything. This is a lie, yes. He reads that cheating is forbidden, then he comes and asks, "Is cheating in the exam forbidden?" He asks about something whose ruling he knows. Cheating is forbidden. Then he comes and asks, "Is cheating forbidden? Is cheating in the exam forbidden?" Yes, he comes and asks, "Is cheating in English, physics, and chemistry forbidden? Is it a subject among the subjects?"
The important thing, in any case, my brothers, is that faith, or the six fundamentals of faith that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explained, does not benefit a person unless he is affected by it, accepts it, is affected by it, and benefits from it. As for mere observation, I guarantee that there are among the disbelievers those who study these things thoroughly, and who have more deductions and extractions of benefits than many people, is it not so? Look now, disbelievers write in the Arabic language and analyze it in terms of jurisprudence and expression, and yet they are disbelievers.
Therefore, we ask Allah to help us and you to benefit from what we have been taught. Do we continue? Hmm? It has two chapters, yes? Two hours. Is it two hours or not?
Two hours or three? Hmm? Has it been two hours?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Which deadline do we take? It has one hour left, it remains.
Pay attention. The first example: corruption on earth, when it is worse in its place, is better in another place.
The second example is both good and bad at the same time, in its place, but it is better for them from another angle, in that it serves as expiation for them. Indeed, these hudud (fixed punishments) expiate sins, so that they are not subjected to both the punishment of this world and the punishment of the Hereafter. If the hand of the thief is cut off without repentance, that becomes expiation for him from the punishment in the Hereafter. But if he repents, the matter is clear: the punishment in the Hereafter is lifted from him. The same is said regarding the fornicator.
Then, they are also better in another place. Cutting off the hand of the thief and stoning the fornicator is better in another place, in that it protects wealth, honor, and lineage. What protects wealth? Cutting off the hand of the thief. Every person knows that if he steals, his hand will be cut off, so he will leave off stealing. Likewise, fornication protects honor and protects lineage. Every person knows that if he fornicates while married and is stoned, he will not fornicate. So, we thereby preserve the honor of the children of Adam and we preserve their lineage, because if a person were to fornicate whenever he wished, lineages would become mixed, and it would not be known whether a child is from lawful intercourse or unlawful intercourse.
If someone were to say: Which is more important, bodies or wealth? Bodies. But the public benefit outweighs the private benefit. Protecting people's wealth is a public protection, and cutting off the hand of the thief is, yes, private, meaning: private corruption, or private harm. So, general matters take precedence over private ones. For this reason, we cut off the hand of the thief because he stole a quarter of a dinar. A quarter of a dinar, his hand is cut off. If he steals a quarter of a dinar, a quarter of a dinar is approximately twenty-five riyals or less, his hand is cut off. If a wrongdoer were to cut it off, how much would we oblige him to pay? Half the blood money, fifty camels. Fifty camels. How is this? How can the value of a hand be fifty camels, and if it is stolen, take a camel and it is cut off?
We say: As for the first, it is protection for bodies and souls, and as for the second, it is protection for wealth. Yes. For this reason, some scholars said: Cutting off the hand of the thief for a quarter of a dinar is protection for wealth, and making its blood money half the blood money of a soul is protection for souls. And this is the truth.
The discussion on the six fundamentals has ended. They are: faith in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil. These are the fundamentals of faith upon which the people of the Sunnah and the community built their faith. So, what are the fruits of this creed?
This creed, in reality, bears noble fruits for whoever listens and is a witness, for whoever has a heart or listens and is a witness.
Many people, may Allah not make us among them, read these pillars and master them completely, but as theoretical matters that do not bear good behavior and a sound methodology. Theoretically, faith in Allah entails such and such, faith in the angels entails such and such, faith in the books entails such and such, faith in the messengers entails such and such, faith in the Last Day entails such and such, faith in the divine decree entails such and such. It is a known concept. But for many people, this faith does not bear correct behavior; it does not bear it. If you want to see, look at this boiling world that enters schools, institutes, and universities. Nations. If these nations truly applied what they read, the people would become the people of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. But the reality is that all our studies are merely theoretical studies. The proof of this is that the student reads that dutifulness to parents is obligatory. Does he treat his parents well? Never. I am not saying this about everyone, praise be to Allah, there are good people, but the common people. He reads that maintaining family ties is obligatory. Does every person maintain his family ties? Most of those we know do not maintain their family ties. He visits his friend in the evening and in the morning, but he does not visit his relative except once a year, and on occasions. Where is the application? Lying: every student knows that lying is forbidden, and yet he lies. He lies in his day. For example, he is late for the lesson. The teacher asks, "Why are you late?" He says, "By Allah, my father kept me busy," and his father did not see him or anything. This is a lie, yes. He reads that cheating is forbidden, then he comes and asks, "Is cheating in the exam forbidden?" He asks about something whose ruling he knows. Cheating is forbidden. Then he comes and asks, "Is cheating forbidden? Is cheating in the exam forbidden?" Yes, he comes and asks, "Is cheating in English, physics, and chemistry forbidden? Is it a subject among the subjects?"
The important thing, in any case, my brothers, is that faith, or the six fundamentals of faith that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explained, does not benefit a person unless he is affected by it, accepts it, is affected by it, and benefits from it. As for mere observation, I guarantee that there are among the disbelievers those who study these things thoroughly, and who have more deductions and extractions of benefits than many people, is it not so? Look now, disbelievers write in the Arabic language and analyze it in terms of jurisprudence and expression, and yet they are disbelievers.
Therefore, we ask Allah to help us and you to benefit from what we have been taught. Do we continue? Hmm? It has two chapters, yes? Two hours. Is it two hours or not?
Two hours or three? Hmm? Has it been two hours?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Which deadline do we take? It has one hour left, it remains.