When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cut off (the hands and feet of) those who had stolen his camels and he had their eyes put out by fire (heated nails), Allah reprimanded him on that (action), and Allah, the Exalted, revealed: "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Apostle and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is execution or crucifixion."
Hadith Commentary: Sunan Abi Dawud 4370
This narration from Sunan Abi Dawud's "Prescribed Punishments (Kitab Al-Hudud)" requires careful scholarly examination. Classical scholars note this hadith is weak (da'if) in chain and contradicts established Islamic principles.
Scholarly Analysis
Authentic Islamic jurisprudence prohibits mutilation as punishment. Scholars like Imam Nawawi and Ibn Hajar affirm that the Prophet never mutilated anyone, as this contradicts Quranic mercy.
The reported action contradicts Quran 5:33 which prescribes proportional punishment without mutilation. Classical commentators state authentic practice was execution or crucifixion for highway robbery, not torture.
Legal Principles
Islamic law maintains strict evidential standards for hudud punishments. The consensus of scholars rejects mutilation as un-Islamic, preserving the Islamic principle of avoiding excessive punishment.
The authentic position is that the Prophet's sunnah prohibited mutilation, and any narration suggesting otherwise is rejected by mainstream scholarship.