"Some people from Urainah arrived in Al-Madinah, and they were uncomfortable (and ill from the climate). So Allah's Messenger sent them some camels from charity. He told them: "Drink from their milk and urine." So they killed the camel driver that Allah's Messenger sent, and they violently drove off the camels, and apostatized from Islam. So the Prophet came to them, he cut off their hands and feet on opposite side, and branded their eyes, and threw them in Al-Harrah." Anas said, "So I saw one of them working over the ground with his mouth, until they died."
The Book on Purification - Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Hadith Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 72
Contextual Background
This narration describes an incident involving people from the tribe of Urainah who came to Medina and fell ill due to the change in climate. The Prophet's initial compassion toward them demonstrates the Islamic principle of caring for the sick and needy.
Medical Permission and Its Limits
The Prophet's instruction to drink camel milk and urine was a specific medical dispensation for their particular illness and circumstances. This was not a general ruling for all Muslims but a temporary exception based on dire medical necessity, as understood by classical scholars like Ibn Qayyim and Ibn Hajar.
The Severity of Their Crimes
Their subsequent actions constituted multiple major crimes: murder of an innocent Muslim, theft of community property, and apostasy from Islam. Classical jurists emphasize that the punishment was not for their initial illness or medical treatment, but for these grave offenses against the Muslim community.
Juridical Perspective on Punishment
Scholars like Imam Nawawi explain that this punishment was specific to their case due to the combined severity of their crimes. The cutting of opposite limbs follows the Islamic legal principle of qisas (retribution) for murder combined with hirabah (waging war against society). The branding was additional punishment for their particular brutality.
Scholarly Consensus
Classical commentators unanimously agree this incident establishes that drinking camel urine is permissible only in cases of genuine medical necessity, and that severe punishments are prescribed for those who commit murder, theft, and apostasy while attacking the Muslim community.