Sins of the Hands

English Text By Jun 05, 2018

Sins of the Hands

Among the sins of the hands are:

1. To stint when measuring by volume, weight, or arm;

2. To steal; If one stole the equivalent of one-quarter of a dinar from its secured place, one’s right hand would be amputated; if one stole again, the left foot would be amputated, then one’s left hand, then one’s right foot.

3. To loot;

4. To take the money of others by force;

5. To take the traders tax (maks);

6. To misappropriate the spoils of war (ghulul);

7. To kill; An expiation (kaffarah) is always due for killing, i.e., to free a Muslim slave who has no defects; if unable, one fasts two consecutive lunar months. Deliberate killing is punishable by death, except if the heirs of the killed person forgive the killer for an indemnity (diyah) or for free. In the case of killing by mistake or by mistake in a deliberate injury the due indemnity (diyah) is one-hundred camels for the free, male Muslim and half of that for the free, female Muslim. The indemnity (diyah) varies with the way the killing took place.

8. To beat a person unjustly;

9. To take and to give a bribe;

10. To burn an animal, unless there was no other way to avoid its harm;

11. To dismember an animal;

12. To play with the die or anything which contains gambling, including children’s games;

13. To play unlawful musical instruments like the lute, rabab, flute, and instruments with strings;

14. To intentionally touch the marriageable woman without a barrier or to touch her lustfully with a barrier even if the person in this case is a non-marriageable kin or of the same sex;

15. To depict that which has a soul;

16. To refrain from paying one’s Zakah or part of one’s Zakah after it is due when one is able to pay it, or to pay an invalid Zakah, or to give the Zakah to those who do not deserve it;

17. To refuse to pay an employee his salary;

18. Without an excuse, to refuse to give the starving what fulfills his hunger and to refrain from saving a drowning person;

19. To write what is prohibited to say;

20. To betray, which is opposite to sincere advice, and this includes deeds, sayings, or conditions.