حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُغِيرَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْحِزَامِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَمْزَةَ الْأَسْلَمِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَّرَهُ عَلَی سَرِيَّةٍ قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ فِيهَا وَقَالَ إِنْ وَجَدْتُمْ فُلَانًا فَأَحْرِقُوهُ بِالنَّارِ فَوَلَّيْتُ فَنَادَانِي فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ إِنْ وَجَدْتُمْ فُلَانًا فَاقْتُلُوهُ وَلَا تُحْرِقُوهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُعَذِّبُ بِالنَّارِ إِلَّا رَبُّ النَّارِ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 2673
Narrated Hamzah al-Aslami: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed him commander over a detachment. He said: I went out along with it. He (the Prophet) said: If you find so-and-so, burn him with the fire. I then turned away, and he called me. So I returned to him, and he said: If you find so-and-so, kill him, and do not burn him, for no one punishes with fire except the Lord of the fire.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020