Types of Blood-Wit (Kitab Al-Diyat)

كتاب الديات

Chapter 22: The Diyah For A Fetus

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas

'Umar asked about the decision of the Prophet (ﷺ) about that (i.e. abortion). Haml b. Malik b. al-Nabhigah got up and said: I was between two women. One of them struck another with a rolling-pin killing both her and what was in her womb. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave judgement that the bloodwit for the unborn child should be a male or a female slave of the best quality and the she should be killed.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Nadr b. Shumail said: Mistah means a rolling-pin.

Abu Dawud said: Abu 'Ubaid said: Mistah means a pole from the tent-poles.

Narrated Tawus

Umar stood on the pulpit. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition to the same effect as mentioned before. He did not mention "that she should be killed". This version adds: "a male or a female slave". Umar then said: Allah is Most Great. Had I not heard it, we would have decided about it something else.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

About the story of Haml ibn Malik, Ibn Abbas said: She aborted a child who had grown hair and was dead, and the woman also died. He (the Prophet) gave judgment that the blood-wit was to be paid by the woman's relatives on the father's side. Her uncle said: Messenger of Allah! She has aborted a child who had grown hair. The father of the woman who had slain said: He is a liar: I swear by Allah, he did not raise his voice, or drink or eat. No compensation is to be paid for an offence like this. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: is it a rhymed prose of pre-Islamic Arabia and its soothsaying? Pay a male or female slave of the best quality in compensation for the child.

Ibn 'Abbas said: The name of one of them was Mulaikah, and the name of the other was Umm Ghutaif.

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah

One of the two women of Hudhayl killed the other, Each of them had husband and sons. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fixed the blood-wit for the slain woman to be paid by the woman's relatives on the father's side. He declared her husband and the child innocent. The relatives of the woman who killed said: We shall inherit from her. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: No, her sons and her husband should inherit from her.

Narrated Abu Hurairah

Two women of Hudhail fought together and one of them threw a stone at the other and killed her. They brought their dispute to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who gave judgement that a male or female slave of the best quality should be given as compensation for her unborn child, and he fixed it to be paid by the woman's relatives on the father's side. He made her sons and those who were with them her heirs. Hamal b. Malik b. al-Nabighah al-Hudhali said: Messenger of Allah ! how should I be fined for one who has not drunk, or eaten or spoken, or raised his voice? - adding that compensation is not to be paid for such (an offense). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: This man simply belong to the soothsayers on account of his rhymed prose which he has used.

Narrated Abu Hurairah

About this story: Then the woman, against whom he decided that a male or female should be paid for her, died. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then gave judgement that her sons will inherit from her, and the bloodwit should be paid by her relatives on the father's side.

Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib

A woman threw a stone at another woman and she aborted. The dispute was brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He gave judgment that five hundred sheep should be paid for her (unborn) child, and forbade throwing stones.

Abu Dawud said: The version of this tradition goes in this way, i.e. five hundred sheep. What is correct is one hundred sheep. Abu Dawud said: 'Abbas transmitted this tradition this way, but it is misunderstanding.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave judgment that a male or a female slave, or a horse or a mule should be paid for a miscarriage.

Abu Dawud said: Hammad b. Salamah and Khalid b. 'Abd Allah transmitted this tradition from Muhammad b. 'Amr, but they did not mention "or a horse or a mule"

Narrated Al-Sha'bi

The price of a male or a female slave is five hundred dirhams.

Abu Dawud said: Rabi'ah said: The price of a male or a female slave is fifty dinars.

Chapter 23: The Diyah Of A Mukatib

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave judgment about the slave who had made an agreement to purchase his freedom (mukatab) and he had been killed that blood-wit is paid for him at the rate paid for a free man so far as he has paid the purchase money, and at the rate paid for a slave as the remainder is concerned.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When a mukatab (a slave who has made an agreement to purchase his freedom) gifts blood-money or an inheritance, he can inherit in accordance with the extent to which he has been emancipated.

Abu Dawud said: Wuhaib transmitted it from Ayyub, from 'Ikrimah, on the authority of 'Ali, from the Prophet (ﷺ): and Hammad b. Zaid and Isma'il have transmitted it in a mursal form (i.e the link of the Companion being missing) from Ayyub, from 'Ikrimah, from the Prophet (ﷺ). Isma'il b. 'Ulayyah has treated it as a statement of 'Ikrimah.

Chapter 24: The Diyah Of A Dhimmi

Narrated 'Amr b. Suh'aib

On his father's authority, said that his grandfather reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The blood-wit for a man who makes a covenant is half of the blood-wit for a free man.

Abu Dawud said: It has been transmitted by Usamah b. Zaid al-Laithi and 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Harith on the authority of 'Amr b. Suh'aib in similar manner.

Chapter 25: When One Man Attacks Another And He Defends Himself

Narrated Safwan b. Ya'la

On this father's authority, said: A servant of mine fought with a man and bit his hand and he drew away his hand. (One of) his front teeth fell out. So he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) who imposed no retaliation for his tooth, saying: Do you intend that he leaves his hand in your mouth so that you crunch it like a male camel ? He said: Ibn Abi Mulaikah told me on the authority of his grandfather that Abu Bakr (ra) imposed no retaliation on him for it, saying: May his tooth go away!

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Ya'la b. Umayyah through a different chain of narrators. This version has

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to the man bit him: If you wish that you give him control over your hand and he bites it, and then you drive it away from his mouth (you may do it). He imposed no retaliation for his teeth.

Chapter 26: One Who Practices Medicine Although He Is Not Known For That, And Causes Harm

Narrated 'Amr b. Suh'aib

On his father's authority, said that his grandfather reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Anyone who practises medicine when he is not known as a practitioner will be held responsible.

Abu Dawud said: This has been transmitted by al-Walid alone. We do not know whether it is sound or not.

Narrated AbdulAziz ibn Umar ibn AbdulAziz

Some people of the deputation which came to my father reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Any physician who practises medicine when he was not known as a practitioner before that and he harms (the patients) he will be held responsible. AbdulAziz said: Here physician does not refer to a man by qualification. it means opening a vein, incision and cauterisation.

Chapter 27: The Diyah For Unintentional Killing That Appears Intentional

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Musaddad's version has: He addressed on the day of Conquest. The agreed version then goes: Beware! Every object of pride of pre-Islamic times, whether it is blood-vengeance or property, mentioned or claimed, has been put under my feet except supply of water to the pilgrims and custody of the House (the Ka'bah). He then said: Beware! The blood-wit for unintentional murder, such as is done with a whip and stick, is one hundred camels, forty of which are pregnant.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Khalid with a different chain of narrators to the same effect.

Chapter 28: The Crime Of A Slave Who Belongs To Poor People

Narrated Imran ibn Husayn

A servant of some poor people cut off the ear of the servant of some rich people. His people came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Messenger of Allah! we are poor people. So he imposed no compensation on them.

Chapter 29: One Who Is Killed Blindly While The People Are Fighting

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone is killed blindly or, when people are throwing stones, by a stone or a whip, his blood-wit is the blood-wit for an accidental murder. But if anyone is killed intentionally, retaliation is due. If anyone tries to prevent it, the curse of Allah, of angels, and of all the people will rest on him.