What could be the right interpretation of this
hadith? Is this hadith sound in terms of content and narrators?
Answer
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:
1.
The climate of Medina did not suit
some people.
2. 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.
