Did Muhammad ﷺ cut the hands and feet of Non-Muslims?
Introduction
One of the allegations of the non-Muslims is that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was cruel to his enemies. The hadith they quote is the following:
حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا سَلاَّمُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ، 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. قَالَ سَلاَّمٌ فَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْحَجَّاجَ قَالَ لأَنَسٍ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَشَدِّ عُقُوبَةٍ عَاقَبَهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَحَدَّثَهُ بِهَذَا. فَبَلَغَ الْحَسَنَ فَقَالَ وَدِدْتُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُحَدِّثْهُ بِهَذَا
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.
[Sahih al-Bukhari 5685]
Refutation
Firstly, the hadith itself explains why the people were punished as they had killed the shepherd and stolen his camels after he fed them during their sickness.
But when they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet (ﷺ) and drove away his camels.
Secondly, one may ask why were they given a specific punishment for cutting their hands and feet? It is because the perpetrators themselves carried out the same acts on the innocent shepherd as explained in the other ahadith:
Anas reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) pierced their eyes because they had pierced the eyes of the shepherds.
[Sahih Muslim 1671h]
Thus, as per the Quranic commandment, they were given the same punishment:
وَاِنۡ عَاقَبۡتُمۡ فَعَاقِبُوۡا بِمِثۡلِ مَا عُوۡقِبۡتُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ وَلَئِنۡ صَبَرۡتُمۡ لَہُوَ خَیۡرٌ لِّلصّٰبِرِیۡنَ
And if you desire to punish the oppressors, then punish them to the extent to which you have been wronged; but if you show patience, then, surely, that is best for those who are patient.
[Quran 16:126]
Conclusion
Those who still claim that the punishments were too harsh are not advocates for justice. They rather have the victims suffer than punish the oppressors.