According to Shariah law, the punishment for thievery is amputation. This is mandated by Koran 5:38:
Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have earned—as an exemplary punishment from Allah: Allah is almighty and wise.
The amputation, designed to deter and curb theft, typically takes place in a public area with a large audience. Hand are amputated at the wrist and feet are amputated at the ankle.
Mohammed instituted this tradition so that the community would witness the implementation of Islamic law and become aware of the consequences for violating it.
In the Reliance of the Traveler, a classic manual of sacred Islamic law written by Ahman Ibn Naqib Al Misri in the 1300’s, the penalty for theft is explained as follows:
A person's right hand is amputated, whether he is a Muslim, non-Muslim subject of the Islamic state, or someone who has left Islam, when he: a) has reached puberty; b) is sane; c) is acting voluntarily; d) and steals at least a quarter of a dinar...If a person steals a second time, his left foot is amputated; if a third time, then his left hand; and if he steals again, then his right foot. If he steals a fifth time, he is disciplined. If he does not have a right hand, then his left foot is amputated. If he has a right hand but loses it after the theft but before he has been punished for it, then nothing is amputated. After amputation, the limb is cauterized with hot oil.
From the Hadith, Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 38, Number 4396:
A thief was brought to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said: Kill him. The people said: He has committed theft, Apostle of Allah! Then he said: Cut off his hand. So his (right) hand was cut off. He was brought a second time and he said: Kill him. The people said: He has committed theft, Apostle of Allah! Then he said: Cut off his foot. So his (left) foot was cut off. He was brought a third time and he said: Kill him. The people said: He has committed theft, Apostle of Allah! So he said: Cut off his hand. (So his (left) hand was cut off.) He was brought a fourth time and he said: Kill him. The people said: He has committed theft, Apostle of Allah! So he said: Cut off his foot. So his (right) foot was cut off. He was brought a fifth time and he said: Kill him. So we took him away and killed him. We then dragged him and cast him into a well and threw stones over him.
From 1996-2001 in Afghanistan, during the reign of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, strict Shariah law was enforced, including public amputations. Thousands of Taliban soldiers and Afghan citizens watched such proceedings in Kabul Stadium to shouts of “Allah Hu Akbar.” Teams of masked surgeons anaesthetized limbs before chopping off the hands and feet of alleged robbers. Severed limbs were purposely left on the ground for spectators to examine.
