Chapter on the Punishment for Highway Robbery

The Shaykh : Then he said "Chapter on the Punishment for Highway Robbery" The author informed us that the punishment for highway robbers falls under the category of hudud (fixed punishments) and that it is obligatory, and this is indeed the case due to the saying of Allah the Exalted to the end of the verse. Thus, the punishment for highway robbers is a hudud punishment that is obligatory to implement. "Qutta'" is the plural of "qati'" (one who cuts), and "al-tariq" (the road) is what people traverse with their feet and travel upon, such as streets, car roads, camel and donkey paths, and the like. Highway robbers are those who cut off the road, meaning they prevent people from traveling on it, due to their aggression against those who pass by. For this reason, we call them highway robbers.