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.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Masud: We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during a journey. He went to ease himself. We saw a bird with her two young ones and we captured her young ones. The bird came and began to spread its wings. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came and said: Who grieved this for its young ones? Return its young ones to it. He also saw an ant village that we had burnt. He asked: Who has burnt this? We replied: We. He said: It is not proper to punish with fire except the Lord of fire.

Abdur-Rahman bin Abdullah quoted his father as saying: When we were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he had gone to releive himself, we saw a Hummarah with two young ones. We took the young ones. The Hummarah came and began to spread out its wings. Then the prophet ﷺ came and said: who has pained this young by the loss of her young? Give her young ones back to her. We also saw an ant-hill which we had burned. He asked? Who has burned this? We replied: we have. He said: it is not fitting that anyone but the lord of the fire should punish with fire.