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Compare this Quranic verse
“Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty and wise. 39 But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance: God is most forgiving and merciful.”
(Sura 5:38)
to these Biblical verses
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.”
(Exodus 22:1-4)
"Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
(Luke 19:8-10)
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need”
(Ephesians 4:28)
"3. The Quran permits the cutting off of the hands of both male and female thieves.
5:38 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty and wise. 39 But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance: God is most forgiving and merciful.
…
One day, he entered Jericho, just to pass through. A short man, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and wealthy, wanted to see who Jesus was, so he ran ahead along Jesus’ path, and climbed a sycamore tree to get a good look at him above the crowds. Jesus approached, saw him, and invited himself to dinner, and Zacchaeus was glad to have him in his large house. Though the people muttered that Jesus should not spend time in a sinner’s house, Zacchaeus was so overwhelmed that he said to him:
Luke 19:8-9 “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus answers the self-righteous “judges” of Zacchaeus: “. . . this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” Thus, Jesus came to save the lost, even if they were major thieves. He did not order that his hand should be cut off. Besides, the Torah itself does not prescribe such punishment, so why should Jesus be crueler than it, which was sacred to him and which orders restitution (Ex. 22:3; Lev. 6:4)?
…Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians recommends a remedy for thieves:
4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
The verb tense in “[h]e who has been stealing” signifies that the thief has been stealing habitually. Evidently, Paul believes that a thief like that can undergo reform if he works with his own hands, so that he can share his product with the needy. The irony is rich: his hands should be employed, not cut off. The New Testament does not shift from severity to mercy in a flash.
Thus, we on the outside of Islam are allowed to ask whether the Quran’s punishments are better than Paul’s “punishment” or Jesus’ bringing about the repentance of Zacchaeus (a non-punishment), without either leader threatening to cut off hands. Does the Quran (the source of sharia) guide society better than the New Testament does? Would God send Gabriel down to Muhammad with such a message? Should this message supercede the New Testament?"
Taken from “(Non)excessive punishments in the Quran” by James Arlandson americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=3856&search=Arlandson
“Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty and wise. 39 But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance: God is most forgiving and merciful.”
(Sura 5:38)
to these Biblical verses
“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.”
(Exodus 22:1-4)
"Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
(Luke 19:8-10)
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need”
(Ephesians 4:28)
"3. The Quran permits the cutting off of the hands of both male and female thieves.
5:38 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty and wise. 39 But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance: God is most forgiving and merciful.
…
One day, he entered Jericho, just to pass through. A short man, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and wealthy, wanted to see who Jesus was, so he ran ahead along Jesus’ path, and climbed a sycamore tree to get a good look at him above the crowds. Jesus approached, saw him, and invited himself to dinner, and Zacchaeus was glad to have him in his large house. Though the people muttered that Jesus should not spend time in a sinner’s house, Zacchaeus was so overwhelmed that he said to him:
Luke 19:8-9 “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Jesus answers the self-righteous “judges” of Zacchaeus: “. . . this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” Thus, Jesus came to save the lost, even if they were major thieves. He did not order that his hand should be cut off. Besides, the Torah itself does not prescribe such punishment, so why should Jesus be crueler than it, which was sacred to him and which orders restitution (Ex. 22:3; Lev. 6:4)?
…Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians recommends a remedy for thieves:
4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
The verb tense in “[h]e who has been stealing” signifies that the thief has been stealing habitually. Evidently, Paul believes that a thief like that can undergo reform if he works with his own hands, so that he can share his product with the needy. The irony is rich: his hands should be employed, not cut off. The New Testament does not shift from severity to mercy in a flash.
Thus, we on the outside of Islam are allowed to ask whether the Quran’s punishments are better than Paul’s “punishment” or Jesus’ bringing about the repentance of Zacchaeus (a non-punishment), without either leader threatening to cut off hands. Does the Quran (the source of sharia) guide society better than the New Testament does? Would God send Gabriel down to Muhammad with such a message? Should this message supercede the New Testament?"
Taken from “(Non)excessive punishments in the Quran” by James Arlandson americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=3856&search=Arlandson
