men who apprehended them and brought them back.

When they had dared to commit those heinous crimes—which, as Abū Qilābah listed, were theft and betrayal, murder, disbelief in Allah, and waging war against Allah and His Messenger by highway robbery—their punishment was made exemplary and their chastisement decisive: their right hands and left feet were severed, their eyes were crushed with red-hot nails, and they were thrown onto the lava field of al-Ḥarrah begging for water while none was given to them. They remained in that torment until they died.

Such, then, is the recompense for anyone who makes war on Allah and His Messenger, sows corruption on earth, and shows ingratitude for Allah’s favors, so that whoever nurses an evil intent and contemplates a similar deed will be deterred.

What may be learned from the ḥadīth:

1- The punishment the Prophet ﷺ inflicted on these corrupters was extremely severe and involved mutilation. Yet the Prophet ﷺ also forbade mutilation and commanded that killing and slaughter be carried out with kindness. Because of this, the scholars have differed over the legal ruling regarding these men.

Some hold that the ruling was abrogated by the later prohibition of mutilation; such scholars, however, must identify when the abrogating text appeared, and no such chronology has been provided.

Others say the ruling predates the revelation of the prescribed penal limits (ḥudūd). Ibn Sīrīn remarked that this is doubtful, for the incident occurred later.

Still others claim he did not actually brand their eyes but only threatened to do so; this is also questionable, for authentic reports state that he did indeed brand—and even pierce—their eyes.

Other explanations have been offered, yet none of them withstand careful scrutiny.

What I am inclined to is that this punishment falls under taʿzīr (discretionary punishment). Taʿzīr is disciplinary action left to the discretion and judgment of the ruler; it may be mild or severe. Discipline may be administered through reprimand and censure, through imprisonment, through a degree of flogging deemed appropriate, through execution, or through confiscation of property—all of which have precedents in the sound Sunnah.

These Bedouins committed vile deeds that revealed the corruption of their hearts and the wickedness of their inner motives. They apostatized from Islam—and the penalty for apostasy is death. They murdered the shepherd who had served them and branded his eyes without right. They stole the camels that belonged to the Muslim community, combining embezzlement, theft, and betrayal. They waged war against Allah and His Messenger by highway robbery and by spreading corruption in the land. They repaid Allah’s favor—health after sickness and vigor after emaciation—with disbelief. For all this they deserved a punishment commensurate with their crimes, so that those coarse-hearted people whose faith has not yet taken root may be restrained.