Amputation (qaṭʿ) in Islamic law is the removal of extremities as a form of punishment. Punitive amputation existed in ancient Middle Eastern laws. Hammurabi's code, for example, mentions it as a penalty for medical malpractice (section 218) and for certain types of embezzlement (section 253). In Mosaic law talionic punishment could involve amputation (Leviticus 24:19-20, Exodus 21:24). In Islamic criminal law three offences may entail amputation: theft (sariqa) , certain forms of highway robbery (ḥirāba, qaṭʿ al-ṭarīq) and the wounding (jarḥ) of someone in a manner