What is the ruling of Islamic law on adding a sum of money or a valuable item that was not stolen to the list of stolen goods acknowledged by the thieves, for the purpose of deterring them?
The punishment for theft in Islamic law is the cutting off of the hand, if the conditions are met and the impediments are absent, based on the Almighty’s saying: "As for the thief, male and female, cut off their hands as a recompense for what they earned, a deterrent from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might, Wise." However, if the conditions for cutting off are not met, then the punishment is left to the discretion of the ruler. It is not permissible to inflate the value of stolen goods or to add something that does not exist, because that is a lie, deceit, and trickery, and it is forbidden by Islamic law.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/61190