The regeneration medicine is already upon us and it is a matter of time before limbs will be grown within weeks if not days. If we stick to the interpretation that Quran advocates cutting of hands as opposed to a financial hit, then will it still be a an exemplary punishment given the developments in Medicine?
1 Answer
according to this Islamic Q&A:
The thief has no right to have the amputated hand reattached, because that means that the signs of the punishment for his crime disappear, and the effectiveness of the rebuke and lesson is lost. It is contrary to the idea of punishment and example as mentioned in the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning)
and they base this on:
[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.5:38
But I don't agree with this as the following ayat says:
But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
and every verse begins with the invocation
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Hence, other punishments are preferable when a society can afford it, that is they can be compassionate and merciful towards criminals. Its also a useful observation that when a man is in prison, he has effectively lost the use of his hands for a specified period of time - though we usually just say he's lost his freedom. Of course, if he is put in prison for life, he has effectively lost the use of his hands (and much else) for life.
answered Dec 1, 2017 at 18:27
-
I do not see the connection between repentance and lifting of punishment. The three that stayed behind during the battle of Tabuk truly repented, but they still had to undergo punishment. Please elaborate on your rationale. Commented Dec 2, 2017 at 18:28
-
@III-AK-III: the verse quoted is from Surat At-Tawbah:'And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind. [And regretted their error] to the point the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain their was no refuge in Allah except in Him. Then he turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentence, the Merciful'. This verse seems more about repentence, the acceptance of repentence, and what constitutes mercy than it is about punishment. Indeed, it's about the depth of Allahs mercy. Commented Dec 3, 2017 at 8:25
-
@Mozibur Thanks for the answer but I am not talking about the amputated hand reattachment but growing a new one. And how would you prevent that? There is nothing in the relevant verse that would even imply that.– DavidCommented Dec 12, 2017 at 17:27
-
@david: there is a principle of Islamic thought called ijtihad which is concerned with "independent reasoning ... in finding a solution to a legal question ... [which] requires expertise in the Arabic language, theology, revealed texts, and principles of jurisprudence ... [it] is not employed where authentic and authoritative texts (Qur'an and Hadith) are considered unambiguous with regard to the question, or where there is an existing scholarly consensus "; since regenerative medicine is still some way off yet the latter is unlikely to be found. Commented Dec 12, 2017 at 18:17
-
1