It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a woman committed theft during the time of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Those from whom the theft had occurred brought her to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! This woman has stolen from us. The family members of the woman said: We will give five hundred dinars in exchange for this theft, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Cut off her hand. So her right hand was cut off. The woman said: O Messenger of Allah! Is there repentance for me? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, rather today you have become as pure from your mistake as the day your mother gave birth to you. Then Allah the Exalted revealed this verse of Surah Al-Ma'idah: Whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, then surely Allah turns to him in mercy; indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Khuzaymah bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever commits a sin and then the prescribed punishment for that sin is carried out upon him, then that will be an expiation for him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever commits a sin in this world and is punished for it here, then Allah Almighty is more just than to punish such a servant again. And whoever commits a sin in this world and Allah Almighty conceals it and forgives him, then He is more gracious and merciful than to call him to account for a sin which He has already forgiven.

It is narrated from Abu Zubyan Janbi that a woman was brought to Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him); she had committed adultery, so he ordered her to be stoned. The people took her to be stoned. When they met Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he asked: What are you going to do? They said: She has committed adultery and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) has ordered her to be stoned. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) freed the woman from their hands and sent those who were taking her back. When they returned to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: Why have you come back? They said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) has sent us back. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) must have done so based on some knowledge of the matter. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent for Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). When he came, it seemed as if he was angry. He said: O Ali! What happened to you that you sent them back? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Did you not hear the saying of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: The pen has been lifted from three types of people: (1) from the sleeping person until he wakes up, (2) from the child until he reaches puberty, and (3) from the insane person until he becomes sane? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Why not, I have certainly heard it. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This is a woman of weak intellect from the Banu Fulan tribe; it is possible that the concerned man committed adultery with her when she was in a state of insanity. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I do not know. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I do not know either. And Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not have her stoned.

Sayyiduna Wa’il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a woman went out of her house to perform prayer. On the way, she met a man who covered her with his clothes, fulfilled his desire with her, and then fled. Another man reached the woman, and she said to him:“Such-and-such man did evil to me.”That man went in search of him, and people caught him and brought him to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The woman (mistakenly) said that it was him. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to be stoned, the man who had actually done evil to the woman stood up and said:“O Messenger of Allah! I am the one who did evil to her.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the woman:“Go, Allah has forgiven you.”And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke good words regarding that man. It was said to him:“O Messenger of Allah! Why do you not stone him?”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“He has repented with such a repentance that if it were distributed among the people of Madinah, it would be accepted from them as well.”

Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that during the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a woman was subjected to forced adultery, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) withheld the hadd (punishment) from her and established the hadd upon the man who committed this evil. The narrator did not mention whether a dowry was fixed for that woman or not.

Abu Majid says: A man brought his nephew to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: This is my nephew, he has drunk alcohol. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I know that the very first hadd (legal punishment) in Islam was carried out on that woman who had stolen, and her hand was cut off, at which the face of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became very changed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: People should overlook and forgive, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

It is narrated from Abu Majid, he says: I was sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I remember the first man whose hand was cut by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a thief was brought and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his hand to be cut, but the face of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed. The people said: O Messenger of Allah! It seems that you disliked the cutting of his hand? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What thing could prevent me from this? Do not help Satan against your brother. It befits the Imam that when the matter of the prescribed punishment reaches him, he should establish it. Indeed, Allah Almighty is forgiving and loves forgiveness. The command of Allah the Exalted is: People should forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

(Second chain) There is a similar narration, except that in it: It seemed that the face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had changed, and ashes had been thrown on his face.

It is narrated from Dukhin, the scribe of Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who says: I said to Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him): Some of our neighbors drink alcohol; I am going to inform the police so that they may arrest them. Sayyiduna Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Do not do that; advise them and admonish them. He did so, but they did not desist. So Dukhin came again and said: I have tried to stop them, but they do not desist; now I will definitely call the police. Sayyiduna Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Woe to you, do not do that. I heard the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever conceals the fault of a believer, it is as if he brings to life a girl who was buried alive in her grave. In another narration: He is like the one who brings to life a girl who was buried alive in her grave.