Back to search
The question

What is the prescribed punishment for the theft of state antiquities according to Islamic Sharia?

Share this answer

Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Ancient artifacts are public property. If an individual steals from them, their hand is not to be amputated because they have a semblance of ownership in them. Most scholars hold this view, citing the of Ibn Abbas concerning the theft by a slave from the one-fifth share [of war spoils], and the sayings of Umar and Ali that a thief from the public treasury is not subject to amputation because they have a right in it. Thus, the existence of a semblance of ownership prevents amputation. However, the absence of amputation does not mean that a grave sin deserving of disciplinary punishment has not been committed.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

Read the full answer on Ftawy
Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
50259
Added here
. This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
Text
Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full ruling
Read the full answer on Ftawy