No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

Islam > Hadiths > Jurisprudence of acts of worship > No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Abu Dāwūd

Authentic

Table of Contents :

Hadith text
Explanation of the hadith
Lessons of the hadith

Updated on 24 September 2026 at 12:34 AM

📖 1 min read

Hadith text: No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

Explanation of the hadith: No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

‘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.

Lessons: No one should punish with fire except the Lord of fire

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.

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

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Mon 21 Jumada al-Awwal
الاثنين 21 جمادى الأولى

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا

God and His angels shower their blessings on the Prophet. O believers, you should also send your blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

Al-Ahzab 33:56

Blessings on the Prophet ﷺ