No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

Arabic text

عنْ ابنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضيَ اللهُ عنهُ قَالَ: كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي سَفَرٍ، فَانْطَلَقَ لِحَاجَتِهِ، فَرَأَيْنَا حُمَّرَةً مَعَهَا فَرْخَانِ، فَأَخَذْنَا فَرْخَيْهَا، فَجَاءَتِ الْحُمَرَةُ فَجَعَلَتْ تَفْرِشُ، فَجَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: «مَنْ فَجَعَ هَذِهِ بِوَلَدِهَا؟ رُدُّوا وَلَدَهَا إِلَيْهَا»، وَرَأَى قَرْيَةَ نَمْلٍ قَدْ حَرَّقْنَاهَا، فَقَالَ: «مَنْ حَرَّقَ هَذِهِ؟» قُلْنَا: نَحْنُ. قَالَ: «إِنَّهُ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُعَذِّبَ بِالنَّارِ إِلَّا رَبُّ النَّارِ».

Translation

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he went to relieve himself. We then saw a Hummarah (a type of bird) with its two chicks. We took its chicks, and the bird came back and began to flap its wings. Upon seeing it, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came and said: "Who has distressed it by taking its baby? Return its baby." He then saw an ant colony that we had burned, and he said: "Who burned this?" We said: We did. He said: "No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire."

Explanation

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that they were with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went away to relieve himself, and during that time, his Companions found a Hummarah bird with two chicks, so they took the chicks. The mother bird began flapping and spreading her wings in distress over the loss of her chicks. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned, he said: Who has saddened her and frightened her by taking away her baby birds?! Then he commanded that they should be returned to her. After that, he saw an ant colony that was burnt with fire, and he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who burned this? Some of his Companions said: We did. He said to them: It is not permissible for anyone to torture a living being with fire, except Allah, Who created it.

Benefits

• The permissibility and recommendation of seeking privacy when relieving oneself.
• The prohibition of torturing animals by taking away their younglings.
• The prohibition of burning ants and insects with fire.
• Encouraging kindness and mercy toward animals—an area in which Islam has long been a pioneer.
• Mercy of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) toward animals.
• Punishment with fire is something that is exclusively reserved for Allah Almighty.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Da‘wah and Hisbah
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Jihad
• Calling to Allah (Da‘wah)
• Animal Rights in Islam
• Manners of Jihad