Translation
As for those men and women who persist in theft (of common good or public good), cut off their hands as a punishment and as an exemplary punishment from God (as a deterrent—only after proper judgment and proof beyond doubt). God is Mighty and Wise. But if they repent their wrongdoing and make correction in their conduct, then God will accept such repentance (so should you). God is Forgiving and Merciful (to mankind). Do you not comprehend Who God is—His dominion is over all of heavens and earth. He chastises whom He will, and He forgives whom He will. He is ever powerful over all things. 307
O Messenger: Do not grieve for those who persist in denial of the truth, those who say outwardly “We believe” but in their hearts believe not; and some among Jews (or any people who claim faith in today’s context) who eagerly listen for a lie or listen to people instead of coming to you (the source). They alter the meanings of words, take them out of context, and presuppose the outcome by advising others: If you are told such, then accept, and if you are told something other than this, then be cautious.
You cannot save someone (all the time) who is tempted to do evil. For such as these, God intends not to purify their souls (as they themselves desire). For such is a disgrace in this world, and in the Afterlife they will face awful consequence. They eagerly listen for lies and devour forbidden things; yet if they come to you to seek judgment (or guidance), you can offer judgment or stay aloof, as they can do you no harm; but if you do render judgment, then do so with justice and equity because God loves those who deal with justice and equity. How is it that they seek judgment from you while they have such judgment (guidance)already from God in the Torah, which they refuse after all of these? They have no faith! 308
Interpretation
307 The punishment for theft by cutting off hands physically should be a matter of last resort and is meant to show the seriousness with which theft is disliked in society. The real intent is to develop a mechanism, relevant to every generation, to limit the ability to commit future theft by individuals and by the ringleaders of large-scale thefts, which have become commonplace in our world today by corrupt political establishments; financial and corporate policies that provide uncontrolled profiteering rights to shareholders at the cost of employees and consumers; and exclusive ownership of, exploitation of, and profiteering from natural resources by individuals, corporations, and corrupt leaders. For individual cases, this is a deterrent and applies under strict conditions of justice and equity, with due process of law, if the pattern of behavior is clearly established and not due to a genuine need for safety, food, and security that society has failed to provide for that individual. I have several comments on this:
1. Theft is commonly believed to be shoplifting or common criminals stealing goods from people’s houses or stores, yet there are other forms of grand theft, as I alluded to earlier (white-color theft, as it’s known in America), being committed by corrupt political leaders, kings, and powerful community leaders directing national wealth to personal use; wealthy individuals using insider trading to siphon off other shareholders’ wealth; business owners and corporate leaders collaborating with financial institutions (e.g., Wall Street) to manipulate share prices or commodity prices; and financially savvy individuals using derivatives and options to gamble on financial markets. Such efforts and practices can and should also fall under grand theft, and corresponding deterrents need to be in place and enforced by society. There is an English saying—when a common person steals a handkerchief, he goes to jail, but when a rich man steals a county, he becomes the duke. This is very appropriate to keep in mind when we think about this verse. Capitalism, the way it is practiced today around the world—focusing only on consumerism and benefits for the capital owners; favoring corporate leaders and shareholders without concern for employee welfare, living wages, environmental pollution, and social justice; usurping mineral rights under corrupt practices or legal framework that does not provide equitable benefit to all; and so on—is an area that should demand the attention of corporate governance, corporate laws and practices, and our policy makers. While focusing on bad practices of capitalism, one should not forget that the competing ideology of Communism has done worse in term of accumulating money and power to select political elites and one party apparatus while destroying human and religious rights, freedom of expressions, rule of law and faith in God.
2. The temptation to seek instant gratification and to accumulate excessive wealth is part of human nature. Each society that imposes duty on citizens—for example, not to steal—should have a corresponding responsibility to ensure that the temptation to steal does not exist, through equitable distribution of wealth, social security, and a minimum standard for food, shelter, and health for every citizen. To stem the accumulation of excessive wealth, we need to define guiding principles and laws on how we practice capitalism—balance shareholder wealth with employee wealth, modulate profit margins to balance corporate benefit vs. benefits to consumers, protect employee rights and privileges, regulate instruments such as options and derivatives, remove the presence of monopoly and oligopoly in the free-market systems, and so on. Abject poverty in society can lead to great evil, and when it is accompanied by huge income disparities, this is a cause for major concern. The Prophet’s guidance on this is worth paying attention to: He once said: “Poverty may well turn into a denial of truth (leading to social chasm).” He also said: “Take care of your poor people who lift the burden of the society.” And He also said: “Pay a just due (wager) to the laborer before his sweat dries out.”
3. We need to shape our spiritual and physical development in a way that brings people together and creates goodwill among all people—rich and poor, intellectual and common man; civic, political, religious and business leaders - all guided by a common vision stemming from faith and goodwill or goodwill alone to make sure we encompass as many people to foster goodwill in our human societies across national, religious, and ethnic boundaries. Our laws, commercial rules and policies, societal norms, sense of fairness, goodwill, and so on all must be consonant to drive us to a higher form of human existence.
308 The rule of judgment has to be based on fairness and equity, irrespective of the condition of the plaintiff or the defendant. Too often our rules are flawed and framed by the influence of wealthy individuals or wealthy corporations, to the detriment of the common good and welfare of the citizens. The challenge to people of faith, people of goodwill, and people who believe and support democratic principles and institutions is to create harmony and fairness in social conduct and community rules and regulations.
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REFLECTION
The Qur’an has touched on many social issues affecting human conduct, including prevention of theft, abuse of human life, gender equality, caring for the underprivileged, and rendering fair judgment to everyone as foundational principles that we need to reflect on, create a workable framework for, and put into practice.
ACTION
Certainly, those of us who claim to have faith and wish to do good, irrespective of our religious or ideological affiliation, have to engender a system of moral, ethical, societal, and commercial principles and guidance that can overcome any temptation, lies, and unfairness that are part of our human construct. All of us have to act on these principles and this guidance individually and collectively to create a sustainable and resilient system to govern our lives and our conduct. God’s guidance is here, and we need to act on these—we have no excuse in this world, and in the Afterlife, we sure will have no defense in front of God, the Ultimate Judge.