Question
Assalaamu alaikum
I have come across this following Hadith with some variations:
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه :
The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5686) [Variations : Sahih al-Bukhari 6802 ; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 72 ; Sahih al-Bukhari 1501 ; Sunan ibn Majah Hadith 3632 ; Sunan an-Nasa’i 4024 ]
The hadith seems to contradict notions of purity of consumption of food and water in the Quran and common sense. Moreover, the prophet mutilated them for a crime that seems very conspicuous. What could be the right interpretation of this hadith? Is this hadith sound in terms of content and narrators?
Regards.
Answer
Wa alaikumussalaam.
Thank you for writing to us.
As you stated, this incident has been reported in several books with some variants. According to the report that you’ve cited, the Prophet Muhammad (sws) advised these people to drink the milk and urine of camels. However, in a variant text, the Prophet is reported to have commanded them to consume only the milk of camels. The report is as follows:
عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ نَاسًا، كَانَ بِهِمْ سَقَمٌ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آوِنَا وَأَطْعِمْنَا فَلَمَّا صَحُّوا قَالُوا إِنَّ الْمَدِينَةَ وَخِمَةٌ. فَأَنْزَلَهُمُ الْحَرَّةَ فِي ذَوْدٍ لَهُ فَقَالَ “ اشْرَبُوا أَلْبَانَهَا ”. فَلَمَّا صَحُّوا قَتَلُوا رَاعِيَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَاسْتَاقُوا ذَوْدَهُ، فَبَعَثَ فِي آثَارِهِمْ، فَقَطَعَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَرْجُلَهُمْ، وَسَمَرَ أَعْيُنَهُمْ، فَرَأَيْتُ الرَّجُلَ مِنْهُمْ يَكْدُمُ الأَرْضَ بِلِسَانِهِ حَتَّى يَمُوتَ
Narrated Anas:
Some people were sick and they said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Give us shelter and food. So when they became healthy they said, “The weather of Medina is not suitable for us.” So he sent them to Al-Harra with some she-camels of his and said, “Drink of their milk.” But when they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet (ﷺ) and drove away his camels. The Prophet (ﷺ) sent some people in their pursuit. Then he got their hands and feet cut and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron. I saw one of them licking the earth with his tongue till he died.
Bukhari, Hadith 5685
In another variant report, the men of ‘Ukl demanded to be provided with the milk of camels and the Prophet (sws) suggested that they live with the herd of camels, where they chose to drink the camels’ milk and urine.
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَهْطًا، مِنْ عُكْلٍ ثَمَانِيَةً قَدِمُوا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَاجْتَوَوُا الْمَدِينَةَ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، ابْغِنَا رِسْلاً. قَالَ “ مَا أَجِدُ لَكُمْ إِلاَّ أَنْ تَلْحَقُوا بِالذَّوْدِ ”. فَانْطَلَقُوا فَشَرِبُوا مِنْ أَبْوَالِهَا وَأَلْبَانِهَا حَتَّى صَحُّوا وَسَمِنُوا، وَقَتَلُوا الرَّاعِيَ، وَاسْتَاقُوا الذَّوْدَ، وَكَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمِهِمْ، فَأَتَى الصَّرِيخُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَبَعَثَ الطَّلَبَ، فَمَا تَرَجَّلَ النَّهَارُ حَتَّى أُتِيَ بِهِمْ، فَقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَرْجُلَهُمْ، ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِمَسَامِيرَ فَأُحْمِيَتْ فَكَحَلَهُمْ بِهَا، وَطَرَحَهُمْ بِالْحَرَّةِ، يَسْتَسْقُونَ فَمَا يُسْقَوْنَ حَتَّى مَاتُوا. قَالَ أَبُو قِلاَبَةَ قَتَلُوا وَسَرَقُوا وَحَارَبُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَسَعَوْا فِي الأَرْضِ فَسَادًا.
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
A group of eight men from the tribe of ‘Ukl came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and then they found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So, they said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Provide us with some milk.” Allah’s Apostle said, “I recommend that you should join the herd of camels.” So they went and drank the urine and the milk of the camels till they became healthy and fat. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels, and they became unbelievers after whey were Muslims. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was informed by a shouter for help, he sent some men in their pursuit, and before the sun rose high, they were brought, and he had their hands and feet cut off. Then he ordered for nails which were heated and passed over their eyes, and they were left in the Harra (i.e. rocky land in Medina). They asked for water, and nobody provided them with water till they died (Abu Qilaba, a sub-narrator said, “They committed murder and theft and fought against Allah and His Apostle, and spread evil in the land.”)
Bukhari, Hadith 3018
Another variant in the hadith collection of Bukhari is as follows:
أَنَّ أَنَسًا ـ رضى الله عنه ـ حَدَّثَهُمْ أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ عُكْلٍ وَعُرَيْنَةَ قَدِمُوا الْمَدِينَةَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالإِسْلاَمِ فَقَالُوا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنَّا كُنَّا أَهْلَ ضَرْعٍ، وَلَمْ نَكُنْ أَهْلَ رِيفٍ. وَاسْتَوْخَمُوا الْمَدِينَةَ، فَأَمَرَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِذَوْدٍ وَرَاعٍ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا فِيهِ، فَيَشْرَبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا، فَانْطَلَقُوا حَتَّى إِذَا كَانُوا نَاحِيَةَ الْحَرَّةِ كَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمِهِمْ، وَقَتَلُوا رَاعِيَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، وَاسْتَاقُوا الذَّوْدَ، فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَبَعَثَ الطَّلَبَ فِي آثَارِهِمْ فَأَمَرَ بِهِمْ فَسَمَرُوا أَعْيُنَهُمْ، وَقَطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ، وَتُرِكُوا فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْحَرَّةِ حَتَّى مَاتُوا عَلَى حَالِهِمْ.
Narrated Anas:
Some people of the tribe of `Ukl and `Uraina arrived at Medina to meet the Prophet (ﷺ) and embraced Islam and said, “O Allah’s Prophet! We are the owners of milch livestock (i.e. bedouins) and not farmers (i.e. countrymen).” They found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) ordered that they should be provided with some milch camels and a shepherd and ordered them to go out of Medina and to drink the camels’ milk and urine. So they set out and when they reached Al-Harra, they reverted to Heathenism after embracing Islam, and killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away the camels. When this news reached the Prophet, he sent some people in pursuit of them. (So they were caught and brought back to the Prophet (ﷺ) ). The Prophet (ﷺ) gave his orders in their concern. So their eyes were branded with pieces of iron and their hands and legs were cut off and they were left away in Harra till they died in that state of theirs.
Bukhari, Hadith 4192
Another interesting report, probably of a different incident, is cited by Imam Abu Dawud in his hadith collection:
عَنْ رَجُلٍ، مِنْ بَنِي عَامِرٍ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ فِي الإِسْلاَمِ فَأَهَمَّنِي دِينِي فَأَتَيْتُ أَبَا ذَرٍّ فَقَالَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ إِنِّي اجْتَوَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَأَمَرَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِذَوْدٍ وَبِغَنَمٍ فَقَالَ لِي ” اشْرَبْ مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا ” . قَالَ حَمَّادٌ وَأَشُكُّ فِي ” أَبْوَالِهَا ” . هَذَا قَوْلُ حَمَّادٍ . … قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ ” أَبْوَالَهَا ” . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ هَذَا لَيْسَ بِصَحِيحٍ وَلَيْسَ فِي أَبْوَالِهَا إِلاَّ حَدِيثُ أَنَسٍ تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ أَهْلُ الْبَصْرَةِ .
A man from Banu ‘Amir said:
I embraced Islam and my (ignorance of the) religion made me anxious (to learn the essentials). I came to Abu Dharr. Abu Dharr said: The climate of Medina did not suit me. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered me to have a few camels and goats. He said to me: Drink their milk. (The narrator Hammad said): I doubt whether he (the Prophet) said: “their urine.” … Abu Dawud said: This is transmitted by Hammad b. Zaid from Ayyub. This version does not mention the words “their urine.” This is not correct. The words “their urine” occur only in the version reported by Anas and transmitted only by the people of Basrah.
Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 333
In this report, the narrator was doubtful whether the Prophet (sws) commanded Abu Dhar to drink the urine of the camels.
Based on these facts, some scholars say that the suggestion to drink the urine of camels cannot be safely attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (sws).
Another possible interpretation of these hadith reports involves evaluating the variants of this reported incident and keeping the following points in consideration:
- The climate of Medina did not suit some people.
- The people of the tribe of ‘Ukl were the owners of milch livestock (i.e. bedouins) and not farmers (i.e. countrymen)
Given these two points, we can imagine that they were used to the environment where they were surrounded by camels, their smell, their milk and their urine. Based on this and corroboration from other hadith reports, some scholars interpret the phrase فَيَشْرَبُوا مِنْ أَلْبَانِهَا وَأَبْوَالِهَا figuratively, meaning let them quench their thirst for the milk and the urine of camels. In other words, let them enjoy (the environment of) their milk and urine.
If we accept that the Prophet (sws) did indeed command them to drink the milk and the urine of camels as medicine for their ailment, it was still not recommended as a routine food item. In those times, people normally treated their ailments with the things easily available in their environment. As a principle in our faith, even a food item that is normally considered impure and prohibited (haram) can be consumed as medicine if nothing else is available to treat the disease. In such cases, the common restrictions of diet do not apply.
The reports then go on to say that after having recovered from their ailment, they killed the official herdsmen and drove away the herd of camels. The Prophet (sws), in conformity with the directive of the Qur’an relating to crimes committed against the state (Al-Maaidah 5: 33), sentenced them to the punishment of amputation of hands and feet;
There is only one part of these reports, which raises a question mark in one’s mind. It seems strange that after having implemented the punishment prescribed in the Qur’an for crimes committed against the society, in general, why did the Prophet (sws) order their eyes to be branded? Most of the narratives do not provide an answer to this question. However, in one of the narratives reported in Ibn Al-Jarood’s Al-Muntaqaa, Anas (ra) is reported to have explained the reason for this punishment as well. The companion of the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said:
عَنْ أَنَسٍ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ” أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّمَا سَمَرَ أَعْيُنَهُمْ لِأَنَّهُمْ سَمَرُوا أَعْيَنَ الرُّعَاةِ
The Prophet (sws) branded their eyes because they had branded the eyes of the herdsmen. (volume 1, Pg. 216- Number 847)
This explanation adequately clarifies the fact that the Prophet (pbuh) ordered the branding of the eyes of the culprits, in compliance with the Qur’anic directive of Qisaas (Al-Baqarah 2: 178, Al-Maaidah 5: 45) for the punishment of murder and inflicting physical injury on someone.
I hope the foregoing explanation provides a satisfactory perspective on these hadith reports.
Answered by: Mushfiq Sultan
Date: 2017-03-15
