Is it permissible for the accused to return an accusation of injustice with injustice against the accuser, such as the accused saying to him: "No, rather you are the thief," acting upon the noble verse: "And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were punished"?

The permissibility of retaliatory punishment is established in Islamic law, as stated in the Almighty's words: "And if you punish [an enemy], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were afflicted," and His saying: "And the retribution for an evil deed is an evil one like it." However, this is conditioned upon not transgressing or overstepping the right of Allah Almighty, such as lying. So, if someone insults you, you may insult them in return, provided it does not involve transgressing a right of Allah or a right of someone other than the oppressor. As for lying and slander, they are forbidden. Therefore, it is impermissible to slander an oppressor with a lie. Rather, it is permissible for the wronged person to openly denounce the one who wronged them, such as by describing them as a liar or an oppressor. They may also supplicate against them, though forgiveness is better. Thus, it is impermissible to falsely accuse anyone of theft, even if they falsely accused you; because lying is forbidden in all circumstances.