The Chapters on Blood Money

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr, Ali ibn Muhammad, and Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; they said: Waki reported to us: al-Amash reported to us, from Shaqiq, from Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘The first matter to be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection will be bloodshed.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hisham ibn Ammar reported to us: Isa ibn Yunus reported to us: al-Amash reported to us, from Abdullah ibn Murrah, from Masruq, from Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘No soul is killed unjustly except that the first son of Adam bears a share of its blood, because he was the first to establish killing.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Said ibn Yahya ibn al-Azhar al-Wasiti reported to us: Ishaq ibn Yusuf al-Azraq reported to us, from Sharik, from Asim, from Abu Wa’il, from Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘The first matter to be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection will be bloodshed.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr reported to us: Waki reported to us: Ismail ibn Abi Khalid reported to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Aidh, from Uqbah ibn Amir al-Juhani, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever meets Allah without associating anything with Him and without having shed unlawful blood will enter Paradise.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hisham ibn Ammar reported to us: al-Walid ibn Muslim reported to us: Marwan ibn Janah reported to us, from Abu al-Jahm al-Juzajani, from al-Bara ibn Azib, that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘The passing away of the world is less significant to Allah than the unlawful killing of a believer.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Amr ibn Rafi reported to us: Marwan ibn Muawiyah reported to us: Yazid ibn Ziyad reported to us, from al-Zuhri, from Said ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever assists in killing a believer by even half a word will meet Allah, Mighty and Majestic, with “Despairing of Allah’s mercy” written between his eyes.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah reported to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah reported to us, from Ammar al-Duhni, from Salim ibn Abi al-Jad, who said: Ibn Abbas was asked about someone who deliberately killed a believer, then repented, believed, performed righteous deeds, and followed guidance. He said, ‘Woe to him! How could he find guidance?’ I heard your Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) say, ‘The killer will come on the Day of Resurrection with his victim clinging to his head, saying, “My Lord, ask this man why he killed me.”’ By Allah, Allah revealed this to your Prophet and did not abrogate it after revealing it.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah reported to us: Yazid ibn Harun reported to us: Hammam ibn Yahya informed us, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji, from Abu Said al-Khudri, who said: Shall I tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), what my ears heard and my heart retained? A man had killed ninety-nine people. The opportunity to repent came to him, so he asked about the most learned person on earth and was directed to a man. He went to him and said, ‘I have killed ninety-nine people. Can I repent?’ The man said, ‘After ninety-nine people?’ The killer drew his sword, killed him, and thereby made the number one hundred. The opportunity to repent came to him again. He asked about the most learned person on earth and was directed to another man. He went to him and said, ‘I have killed one hundred people. Can I repent?’ The man said, ‘Woe to you! Who could prevent you from repenting? Leave the corrupt town where you are and go to such-and-such a righteous town, and worship your Lord there.’ He set out for the righteous town, but death overtook him on the way. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. Iblis said, ‘I have more claim to him; he never disobeyed me at all.’ The angels of mercy said, ‘He set out in repentance.’ Hammam said: Humayd al-Tawil related to me, from Bakr ibn Abdullah, from Abu Rafi, who said: Allah sent an angel, and the disputants referred the case to him. Then they returned, and he said, ‘Measure which of the two towns was nearer, and count him among its people.’

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah reported to us: Yazid ibn Harun reported to us: Hammam ibn Yahya informed us, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji, from Abu Said al-Khudri, who said: Shall I tell you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, what my ears heard and my heart retained? A man had killed ninety-nine people. The opportunity to repent came to him, so he asked about the most learned person on earth and was directed to a man. He went to him and said, ‘I have killed ninety-nine people. Can I repent?’ The man said, ‘After ninety-nine people?’ The killer drew his sword, killed him, and thereby made the number one hundred. The opportunity to repent came to him again. He asked about the most learned person on earth and was directed to another man. He went to him and said, ‘I have killed one hundred people. Can I repent?’ The man said, ‘Woe to you! Who could prevent you from repenting? Leave the corrupt town where you are and go to such-and-such a righteous town, and worship your Lord there.’ He set out for the righteous town, but death overtook him on the way. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. Iblis said, ‘I have more claim to him; he never disobeyed me at all.’ The angels of mercy said, ‘He set out in repentance.’ Hammam said: Humayd al-Tawil related to me, from Bakr ibn Abdullah, from Abu Rafi, who said: Allah sent an angel, and the disputants referred the case to him. Then they returned, and he said, ‘Measure which of the two towns was nearer, and count him among its people.’

Qatadah said: al-Hasan related to us: When death came to him, he strained himself toward the righteous town and moved farther from the corrupt town, so they counted him among the people of the righteous town. Abu al-Hasan al-Qattan said: Abu al-Abbas ibn Abdullah ibn Ismail al-Baghdadi reported to us: Affan reported to us: Hammam reported a similar account.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Uthman and Abu Bakr, the two sons of Abu Shaybah, reported to us: Abu Khalid al-Ahmar reported to us. Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah reported to us: Jarir and Abd al-Rahim ibn Sulayman reported to us. All three routes go back to Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from al-Harith ibn Fudayl—whom I think reported from Ibn Abi al-Awja, named Sufyan—from Abu Shurayh al-Khuza‘i, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever suffers a killing or a wound—the wound is meant by khabl—has a choice among three. If he seeks a fourth, restrain him: he may kill, pardon, or take blood money. Whoever chooses any of these and then transgresses again will have the Fire of Hell, abiding there forever.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim al-Dimashqi reported to us: al-Walid reported to us: al-Awza‘i reported to us: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir reported to me, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever has a person killed has the better of two choices: either to have him killed in return, or to accept compensation.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah reported to us: Abu Khalid al-Ahmar reported to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Ja‘far, from Zayd ibn Dumayrah, who reported to me from his father and uncle, both of whom witnessed Hunayn with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace): The Prophet prayed the noon prayer, then sat beneath a tree. Al-Aqra ibn Habis—chief of Khindif—stood to seek reprisal for the blood of Muhallim ibn Jaththamah, while Uyaynah ibn Hisn stood to seek reprisal for the blood of Amir ibn al-Adbat, who was from Ashja. The Prophet said to them, ‘Will you accept blood money?’ They refused. A man from Banu Layth named Mukaytil stood and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, this killing in the early days of Islam is like a flock of sheep coming to water and being pelted, so the last of them scatter.’ The Prophet said, ‘You will have fifty while we are traveling, and fifty when we return.’ They accepted the blood money.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Mahmud ibn Khalid al-Dimashqi reported to us: My father reported to us: Muhammad ibn Rashid reported to us, from Sulayman ibn Musa, from Amr ibn Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever kills deliberately is handed over to the victim’s heirs. If they wish, they may kill him; if they wish, they may take blood money: thirty mature she-camels, thirty young she-camels, and forty pregnant she-camels. That is the compensation for deliberate killing. Whatever they settle upon by agreement belongs to them; this is a heavier compensation.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us: Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi and Muhammad ibn Ja‘far reported to us; they said: Shu‘bah reported to us, from Ayyub, who said: I heard al-Qasim ibn Rabi‘ah, from Abdullah ibn Amr, from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said, ‘The compensation for an accidental killing resembling deliberate killing—with a whip or stick—is one hundred camels, forty of them pregnant with their young.’ Muhammad ibn Yahya reported to us: Sulayman ibn Harb reported to us: Hammad ibn Zayd reported to us, from Khalid al-Hadhdha, from al-Qasim ibn Rabi‘ah, from Uqbah ibn Aws, from Abdullah ibn Amr, from the Prophet, a similar report.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Zuhri reported to us: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah reported to us, from Ibn Judan, who heard it from al-Qasim ibn Rabi‘ah, from Ibn Umar: On the day of the conquest of Makkah, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) stood on the steps of the Ka‘bah, praised Allah, and extolled Him. He said, ‘Praise be to Allah, who fulfilled His promise, gave victory to His servant, and alone defeated the confederates. Indeed, the compensation for an accidental killing caused by a whip or stick is one hundred camels, forty of them pregnant with their young. Every distinction of the pre-Islamic period and every blood claim is beneath these two feet of mine, except the custodianship of the House and the giving of water to pilgrims. I confirm these two duties for the people who held them before.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us: Muadh ibn Hani reported to us: Muhammad ibn Muslim reported to us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), that he set the blood money at twelve thousand.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ishaq ibn Mansur al-Marwazi informed us: Yazid ibn Harun informed us: Muhammad ibn Rashid informed us, from Sulayman ibn Musa, from Amr ibn Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Whoever is killed by mistake, his blood money in camels is thirty one-year-old she-camels, thirty two-year-old she-camels, thirty three-year-old she-camels, and ten two-year-old male camels.’ The Messenger of Allah used to value it for town-dwellers at four hundred dinars or their equivalent in silver. Its valuation changed over time with camel prices: when they rose, its value rose; when they fell, its value fell, according to the conditions of the time. In the time of the Messenger of Allah its value ranged from four hundred to eight hundred dinars, or their equivalent in silver—eight thousand dirhams. The Messenger of Allah ruled that for those whose compensation was paid in cattle, it was two hundred cows, and for those whose compensation was paid in sheep, two thousand sheep.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abd al-Salam ibn Asim reported to us: al-Sabbah ibn Muharib reported to us: Hajjaj ibn Artah reported to us: Zayd ibn Jubayr reported to us, from Khishf ibn Malik al-Ta’i, from Abdullah ibn Masud, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘The blood money for accidental killing is twenty three-year-old she-camels, twenty four-year-old she-camels, twenty one-year-old she-camels, twenty two-year-old she-camels, and twenty male one-year-old camels.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Al-Abbas ibn Ja‘far reported to us: Muhammad ibn Sinan reported to us: Muhammad ibn Muslim reported to us, from Amr ibn Dinar, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) set the blood money at twelve thousand. He cited Allah’s words, ‘They found no fault except that Allah and His Messenger enriched them from His bounty,’ meaning by their taking the blood money.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ali ibn Muhammad reported to us: Waki reported to us: My father reported to us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from Ubayd ibn Nadlah, from al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) ruled that blood money was to be paid by the agnatic kin liable for it (al-aqilah).

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Yahya ibn Durust reported to us: Hammad ibn Zayd reported to us, from Budayl ibn Maysarah, from Ali ibn Abi Talhah, from Rashid ibn Sad, from Abu Amir al-Hawzani, from al-Miqdam al-Shami, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘I am the heir of one who has no heir: I pay compensation on his behalf and inherit from him. The maternal uncle is the heir of one who has no heir: he pays compensation on his behalf and inherits from him.’