Allah said next,
﴿فَمَن تَابَ مِن بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِ
وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴾
(But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds, then verily,
Allah will pardon him. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) Therefore,
whoever repents and goes back to Allah after he commits theft, then Allah will forgive
him. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said that a woman committed theft
during the time of the Messenger of Allah and those from whom she stole brought
her and said, "O Allah's Messenger! This woman stole from us.'' Her people said,
"We ransom her.'' The Messenger of Allah said,
«اقْطَعُوا يَدَهَا»
(Cut off her hand.) They said, "We ransom her with five hundred Dinars.'' The Prophet
said,
«اقْطَعُوا يَدَهَا»
(Cut off her hand.) Her right hand was cut off and the woman asked, "O Messenger
of Allah! Is there a chance for me to repent'' He said,
«نَعَمْ أَنْتِ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ خَطِيئَتِكِ
كَيَوْمَ وَلَدَتْكِ أُمُّك»
(Yes. This day, you are free from your sin just as the day your mother gave birth
to you.) Allah sent down the verse in Surat Al-Ma'idah,
﴿فَمَن تَابَ مِن بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِ
وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴾
(But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds (by obeying
Allah), then verily, Allah will pardon him. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful.) This woman was from the tribe of Makhzum. Her story was narrated in the
Two Sahihs from Az-Zuhri from `Urwah from `A'ishah, The incident caused concern
for the Quraysh after she committed the theft during the time of the battle of the
Conquest ﴿of Makkah﴾. They said, "Who can talk to Allah's Messenger about her matter''
They then said, "Who dares speak to him about such matters other than Usamah bin
Zayd, his loved one.'' When the woman was brought to the Messenger of Allah , Usamah
bin Zayd talked to him about her and the face of the Messenger changed color (because
of anger) and he said,
«أَتَشْفَعُ فِي حَدَ مِنْ حُدُودِ
اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ؟»
(Do you intercede in a punishment prescribed by Allah) Usamah said to him, "Ask
Allah to forgive me, O Allah's Messenger!'' During that night, the Messenger of
Allah stood up and gave a speech and praised Allah as He deserves to be praised.
He then said,
«أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ
الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ،
وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ، وَإِنِّي وَالَّذِي
نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا»
(Those who were before you were destroyed because when an honorable person among
them would steal, they would leave him. But, when a weak man among them stole, they
implemented the prescribed punishment against him. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul!
If Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad stole, I will have her hand cut off.) The Prophet
commanded that the hand of the woman who stole be cut off, and it was cut off. `A'ishah
said, `Her repentance was sincere afterwards, and she got married and she used to
come to me so that I convey her needs to the Messenger of Allah.'' This is the wording
that Muslim collected, and in another narration by Muslim, `A'ishah said, "She was
a woman from Makhzum who used to borrow things and deny that she took them. So the
Prophet ordered that her hand be cut off.'' Allah then said,
﴿أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ
مُلْكُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالأَرْضِ﴾
(Know you not that to Allah (Alone) belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth!) He owns everything and decides what He wills for it and no one can resist
His judgment,
﴿فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ
مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾
(He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is able to do all
things.)
﴿يأَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ
لاَ يَحْزُنكَ الَّذِينَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِى الْكُفْرِ مِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ ءامَنَّا
بِأَفْوهِهِمْ وَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قُلُوبُهُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ هِادُواْ سَمَّـعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ
سَمَّـعُونَ لِقَوْمٍ ءاخَرِينَ لَمْ يَأْتُوكَ يُحَرّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ مِن بَعْدِ مَوضِعِهِ
يَقُولُونَ إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَـذَا فَخُذُوهُ وَإِن لَّمْ تُؤْتَوْهُ فَاحْذَرُواْ
وَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُ فَلَن تَمْلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئاً أُوْلَـئِكَ
الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يُطَهّرَ قُلُوبَهُمْ لَهُمْ فِى الدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ
وَلَهُمْ فِى الاْخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ- سَمَّـعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ
أَكَّـلُونَ لِلسُّحْتِ فَإِن جَآءوكَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ أَوْ أَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ
وَإِن تُعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ فَلَن يَضُرُّوكَ شَيْئاً وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم
بِالْقِسْطِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ- وَكَيْفَ يُحَكّمُونَكَ
وَعِندَهُمُ التَّوْرَاةُ فِيهَا حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ مِن بَعْدِ ذلِكَ
وَمَآ أُوْلَـئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ- إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ
فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُواْ لِلَّذِينَ
هَادُواْ وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالاْحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُواْ مِن كِتَـبِ اللَّهِ
وَكَانُواْ عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَآء فَلاَ تَخْشَوُاْ النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلاَ تَشْتَرُواْ
بِـئَايَـتِى ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ
هُمُ الْكَـفِرُونَ﴾
(41. O Messenger! Let not those who hurry to fall into disbelief grieve you, of
such who say, "We believe'' with their mouths but their hearts have no faith. And
of the Jews are men who listen much and eagerly to lies, listening to others who
have not come to you. They change the words from their places; they say, "If you
are given this, take it, but if you are not given this, then beware!'' And whomsoever
Allah wants to put in Fitnah, you can do nothing for him against Allah. Those are
the ones whose hearts Allah does not want to purify; for them there is a disgrace
in this world, and in the Hereafter a great torment.) (42. They (like to) listen
to falsehood, to devour Suht. So if they come to you, either judge between them,
or turn away from them. If you turn away from them, they cannot hurt you in the
least. And if you judge, judge with justice between them. Verily, Allah loves those
who act justly.) (43. But how do they come to you for a decision while they have
the Tawrah, in which is the decision of Allah; yet even after that they turn away.
For they are not believers.) (44. Verily, We did send down the Tawrah, therein was
guidance and light, by which the Prophets who submitted themselves to Allah's will,
judged for the Jews. And the Rabbaniyyun and the Ahbar, for to them was entrusted
the protection of Allah's Book, and they were witnesses thereto. Therefore fear
not men but fear Me and sell not My verses for a miserable price. And whosoever
does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers.)