Types of Blood-Wit (Kitab Al-Diyat)

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas: Qurayzah and Nadir (were two Jewish tribes). An-Nadir were nobler than Qurayzah. When a man of Qurayzah killed a man of an-Nadir, he would be killed. But if a man of an-Nadir killed a man of Qurayzah, a hundred wasq of dates would be paid as blood-money. When Prophethood was bestowed upon the Prophet (ﷺ), a man of an-Nadir killed a man of Qurayzah. They said: Give him to us, we shall kill him. They replied: We have the Prophet (ﷺ) between you and us. So they came to him. Thereupon the following verse was revealed: "If thou judge, judge in equity between them." "In equity" means life for a life. The following verse was then revealed: "Do they seek of a judgment of (the days) ignorance?"Abu Dawud said: Quraizah and al-Nadir were the descendants of Harun the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Narrated AbuRimthah: I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) with my father. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then asked my father: Is this your son? He replied: Yes, by the Lord of the Ka'bah. He again said: Is it true? He said: I bear witness to it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then smiled for my resemblance with my father, and for the fact that my father took an oath upon me. He then said: He will not bring evil on you, nor will you bring evil on him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited the verse: "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another."

Narrated AbuShurayh al-Khuza'i: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If a relative of anyone is killed, or if he suffers khabl, which means a wound, he may choose one of the three things: he may retaliate, or forgive, or receive compensation. But if he wishes a fourth (i.e. something more), hold his hands. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that some dispute which involved retaliation was brought to him but he commanded regarding it for remission.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: A man was killed in the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ). The matter was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). He entrusted him to the legal guardian of the slain. The slayer said: Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah, I did not intend to kill him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to the legal guardian: Now if he is true and you kill him, you will enter Hell-fire. So he let him go. His hands were tied with a strap. He came out pulling his strap. Hence he was called Dhu an-Nis'ah (possessor of strap).

Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr: I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) when a man who was a murderer and had a strap round his neck was brought to him. He then called the legal guardian of the victim and asked him: Do you forgive him? He said: No. He asked: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He asked: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. When he turned his back, he said: Do you forgive him? He said: No. He said: Will you accept the blood-money? He said: No. He said: Will you kill him? He said: Yes. He said: Take him. After repeating all this a fourth time, he said: If you forgive him, he will bear the burden of his own sin and the sin of the victim. He then forgave him. He (the narrator) said: I saw him pulling the strap.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by 'Alqamah b. Wa'il through a different chain of narrators and to the same effect.

Narrated Wa'il (b. Hujr): A man brought an Abyssinian to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: This man has killed my nephew. He asked: How did you kill him? He replied: I struck his head with axe but I did not intend to kill him. He asked: Have you some money so that you pay his blood-wit? He said: No. He said: What is your opinion if I send you so that you ask the people (for money) and thus collect your blood-wit? He said: No. He asked : Will your masters give you his blood-wit (to pay his relatives)? He said: No. He said to the man. Take him. So he brought him out to kill him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If he kill him, he will be like him. This (statement) reached the man where he was listening to his statement. He said: He is here, order regarding him as you like. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Leave him alone. And he once said: He will bear the burden of the sin of the slain and that of his own and thus he will become one of the Companions of Hell. So he let him go.

Narrated AbuUmamah ibn Sahl: We were with Uthman when he was besieged in the house. There was an entrance to the house. He who entered it heard the speech of those who were in the Bilat. Uthman then entered it. He came out to us, looking pale. He said: They are threatening to kill me now. We said: Allah will be sufficient for you against them, Commander of the Faithful! He asked: Why kill me? I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: It is not lawful to kill a man who is a Muslim except for one of the three reasons: Kufr (disbelief) after accepting Islam, fornication after marriage, or wrongfully killing someone, for which he may be killed. I swear by Allah, I have not committed fornication before or after the coming of Islam, nor did I ever want another religion for me instead of my religion since Allah gave guidance to me, nor have I killed anyone. So for what reason do you want to kill me?Abu Dawud said: 'Uthman and Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with them) abandoned drinking wine in pre-Islamic times.

Narrated Ziyad ibn Sa'd ibn Dumayrah as-Sulami: On the authority of his father (Sa'd) and his grandfather (Dumayrah) (according to Musa's version) who were present in the battle of Hunayn with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): After the advent of Islam, Muhallam ibn Jaththamah al-Laythi killed a man of Ashja'. That was the first blood-money decided by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (for payment). Uyaynah spoke about the killing of al-Ashja'i, for he belonged to Ghatafan, and al-Aqra' ibn Habis spoke on behalf of Muhallam, for he belonged to Khunduf. The voices rose high, and the dispute and noise grew. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do you not accept blood-money, Uyaynah? Uyaynah then said: No, I swear by Allah, until I cause his women to suffer the same fighting and grief as he caused my women to suffer. Again the voices rose high, and the dispute and noise grew. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Do you not accept the blood-money Uyaynah? Uyaynah gave the same reply as before, and a man of Banu Layth called Mukaytil stood up. He had a weapon and a skin shield in his hand. He said: I do not find in the beginning of Islam any illustration for what he has done except the one that "some sheep came on, and those in the front were shot; hence those in the rear ran away". (The other example is that) "make a law today and change it." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Fifty (camels) here immediately and fifty when we return to Medina. This happened during some of his journeys. Muhallam was a tall man of dark complexion. He was with the people. They continued (to make effort for him) until he was released. He sat before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), with his eyes flowing. He said: Messenger of Allah! I have done (the act) of which you have been informed. I repent to Allah, the Exalted, so ask Allah's forgiveness for me. Messenger of Allah! The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Did you kill him with your weapon at the beginning of Islam. O Allah! do not forgive Muhallam. He said these words loudly. AbuSalamah added: He (Muhallam) then got up while he was wiping his tears with the end of his garment. Ibn Ishaq said: His people alleged that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked forgiveness for him after that.Abu Dawud said: Al-Nadr b. Shumail said: al-ghiyar means blood-wit.

Narrated AbuShurayb al-Ka'bi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Then you, Khuza'ah, have killed this man of Hudhayl, but I will pay his blood-wit. After these words of mine if a man of anyone is killed, his people will have a choice to accept blood-wit or to kill him.

Narrated 'Amr b. Shu'aib: On his father's authority said that his grandfather reported the Prophet (ﷺ) said: A believer will not be killed for an infidel. If anyone kills a man deliberately, he is to be handed over to the relatives of the one who has been killed. If they wish, they may kill, but if they wish, they may accept blood-wit

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: I will not forgive anyone who kills after accepting blood-wit

Narrated Anas bin Malik: A Jewess brought a poisoned sheep to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he ate of it. She was then brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who asked her about it. She said: I intended to kill you. He said: Allah will not give you control over it ; or he said : over me. They (the Companions) said: Should we not kill her ? He said: No. He (Anas) said: I always found it in the uvula of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

Narrated Abu Hurairah: A Jewess presented a poisoned sheep to the Prophet (ﷺ), but the Prophet (ﷺ) did not interfere with he.Abu Dawud said: The Jewess who poisoned the Prophet (ﷺ) was sister of Marhab.

Narrated Ibn Shihab: Jabir ibn Abdullah used to say that a Jewess from the inhabitants of Khaybar poisoned a roasted sheep and presented it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who took its foreleg and ate from it. A group of his companions also ate with him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Take your hands away (from the food). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then sent someone to the Jewess and he called her. He said to her: Have you poisoned this sheep? The Jewess replied: Who has informed you? He said: This foreleg which I have in my hand has informed me. She said: Yes. He said: What did you intend by it? She said: I thought if you were a prophet, it would not harm you; if you were not a prophet, we should rid ourselves of him (i.e. the Prophet). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then forgave her, and did not punish her. But some of his companions who ate it, died. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had himself cupped on his shoulder on account of that which he had eaten from the sheep. AbuHind cupped him with the horn and knife. He was a client of Banu Bayadah from the Ansar.

Narrated AbuSalamah: A Jewess presented a roasted sheep to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at Khaybar. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition like that of Jabir (No. 4495). He said: Then Bashir ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur al-Ansari died. He sent someone to call on the Jewess, and said to her (when she came): What motivated you to do the work you have done? He then mentioned the rest of the tradition similar to the one mentioned by Jabir (No. 4495). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then ordered regarding her and she was killed. But he (AbuSalamah) did not mention the matter of cupping.

Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would accept a present, but would not accept alms (sadaqah).And Wahb bin Baqiyyah narrated to us, elsewhere, from Khalid, from Muhammad ibn Amr said on the authority of AbuSalamah, and he did not mention the name of Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to accept presents but not alms (sadaqah). This version adds: So a Jewess presented him at Khaybar with a roasted sheep which she had poisoned. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ate of it and the people also ate. He then said: Take away your hands (from the food), for it has informed me that it is poisoned. Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur al-Ansari died. So he (the Prophet) sent for the Jewess (and said to her): What motivated you to do the work you have done? She said: If you were a prophet, it would not harm you; but if you were a king, I should rid the people of you. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then ordered regarding her and she was killed. He then said about the pain of which he died: I continued to feel pain from the morsel which I had eaten at Khaybar. This is the time when it has cut off my aorta.

Narrated Ibn Ka'b b. Malik: On the authority of his father: Umm Mubashshir said to the Prophet (ﷺ) during the sickness of which he died: What do you think about your illness, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? I do not think about the illness of my son except the poisoned sheep of which he had eaten with you at Khaybar. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: And I do not think about my illness except that. This is the time when it cut off my aorta.Abu Dawud said: Sometime 'Abd al-Razzaq transmitted this tradition, omitting the link of the Companion, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from the Prophet (ﷺ), and sometimes he transmitted it from al-Zuhri from 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ka'b b. Malik, 'Abd al-Rahman mentioned that Ma'mar sometimes transmitted the tradition in a mursal form (omitting the link of the Companion), and they recorded it. And all this is correct with us. 'Abd al-Razzaq said: When Ibn al-Mubarak came to Ma'mar, he transmitted the traditions in a musnad form (with a perfect chain) which he transmitted as mauquf traditions (statements of the Companions and not of the Prophet).

Narrated 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Abd Allah b. Ka'b b. Malik : On the authority of his mother than Umm Mubashshir said (Abu Sa'id b. al-A'rabi said: So he said it on the authority of his mother ; what is correct is: on the authority of his father, instead of his mother): I entered upon the Prophet (ﷺ). He then mentioned the tradition of Makhlad b. Khalid in a way similar to the tradition of Jabir. The narrator said: Then Bishr b. al-Bara' b. Ma'rur died. So he (the Prophet) sent for the Jewess and said: What did motivate you for your work you have done ? He (the narrator) then mentioned the rest of the tradition like the tradition of Jabir. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered regarding her and she was killed. He (the narrator in this version) did not mention cupping.

Narrated Samurah: The Prophet (ﷺ) Said: If anyone kills his slave, we shall kill him, and if anyone cuts off the nose of his slave, we shall cut off his nose.

Narrated Qatadah: Through the same chain of narrators as mentioned before, i.e. Samurah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone castrates his slave, we shall castrate him. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition like that of Sh'ubah and Hammad.Abu Dawud said: Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi transmitted it from Hisham like the tradition of Mu'adh.

Qatadah transmitted the tradition mentioned above through a chain of narrators like that of Shu'bah. This version adds: Then al-Hasan forgot this tradition, and he used to say: A free man is not to be killed for a slave.

It was narrated from Hisham, from Qatadah, from Al-Hasan, who said: "A free man should not be subjected to retaliation in return for a slave."

Narrated 'Amr b. Shu'aib: On his father's authority, said that his grandfather told that a A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) crying for help. He said: His slave-girl, Messenger of Allah! He said: Woe to you, what happened with you ? He said that it was an evil one. He saw the slave-girl of his master; he became jealous of him, and cut off his penis. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Bring the man to me. The man was called, but people could not get control over him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Go away, you are free. He asked: Messenger of Allah! upon whom does my help lie? He replied: On every believer, or he said: On every Muslim.Abu Dawud said: The name of the man who was emancipated was Rawh b. DinarAbu Dawud said: The man who cut off the penis was Zinba'Abu Dawud said: The Zinba' Abu Rawh was master of the slave.

Narrated Sahl b. Abi Hathmah and Rafi' b. Khadij: Muhayyasah b. Mas'ud and 'Abd Allah b. Sahl came to Khaibar and parted (from each other) among palm trees. 'Abd Allah b. Sahl was killed. The Jews were blamed (for the murder). 'Abd al-Rahman b. Sahl and Huwayyasah and Muhayyasah, the sons of his uncle (Mas'ud) came to the Prophet (ﷺ). 'Abd al-Rahman, who was the youngest, spoke about his brother, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: (Respect) the elder, (respect) the elder or he said: Let the eldest begin. They then spoke about their friend and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Fifty of you should take oaths regarding a man from them (the Jews) and he should be entrusted (to him) with his rope (in his neck). They said: It is a matter which we did not see. How can we take oaths ? He said: The Jews exonerate themselves by the oaths of fifty of them. They said: Messenger of Allah! they are a people who are infidels. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) paid them bloodwit himself. Sahl said: Once I entered the resting place of their camels, and the she-camel struck me with her lef. Hammad said this or (something) similar to it.Abu Dawud said: Another version transmitted by Yahya b. Sa'id has: Would you swear fifty oaths and make you claim regarding your friend or your slain man ? Bishr, the transmitter, did mention blood. 'Abdah transmitted it from Yahya as transmitted by Hammad. Ibn 'Uyainah has also transmitted it from Yahya, and began with his words: The Jew will exonerate themselves by fifty oaths which they will swear. He did not mention the claim.Abu Dawud said: This is a misunderstanding on the part of Ibn 'Uyainah.

Sahl b. Abi Hathmah and some senior men of the tribe told that 'Abd Allah b. Abi Sahl and Muhayyasah came to Khaibar on account of the calamity (i.e. famine) that befall them. Muhayyasah came and told the 'Abd Allah b. Sahl had been killed and thrown in a well or stream. He hen came to the Jews and said: I swear by Allah, you have killed him. They said: We swear by Allah, we have not killed him. He then proceeded and came to his tribe and mentioned this to them. Then he, his brother Huwayyasah, who was older to him, and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Sahl came forward (to the Prophet). Muhayyasah began to speak. It was he who was at Khaibar. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said to him: Let the eldest (speak), let the eldest (speak), meaning age. So Huwayyasah spoke, and after him Muhayyasah spoke. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: They should either pay the bloodwit for you friend or they should be prepared for war. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wrote to them about it. They wrote (in reply): We swear by Allah, we have not killed him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said to Huwayyasah, Muhayyasah and 'Abd al-Rahman: Will you take an oath and thus have the claim to the blood of your friend ? They said: No. He (the Prophet) said: The Jews will then take an oath. They said: They are not Muslims. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) himself paid the bloodwit. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then sent on one hundred she-camels and they were entered in their house. Sahl said: A red she-camel of them gave me a kick.

Narrated 'Amr b. Shu'aib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) killed a man of Banu Nadr ibn Malik at Harrah ar-Righa' at the bank of Layyat al-Bahrah. The transmitter Mahmud (ibn Khalid) also mentioned the words along with the words "at Bahrah" "the slayer and the slain were from among them". Mahmud alone transmitted in this tradition the words "at the bank of Layyah".

Narrated Bashir b. Yasar: That a man of the Ansar called Sahl b. Abi Hathmah told him that some people of his tribe went to Khaibar and separated there. They found one of them slain. They said to those with whom they had found him: You have killed our friend. They replied: We did not kill him, nor do we know the slayer. We (the people of the slain) then went to the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ). He said to them: Bring proof against the one who has slain him. They replied: We have no proof. He said: Then they will take an oath for you. They said: We do not accept the oaths of the Jews. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not like no responsibility should be fixed for his blood. So he himself paid his bloodwit consisting of one hundred camels of sadaqah (i.e. camels sent to the Prophet as zakat).

Narrated Rafi' ibn Khadij: A man of the Ansar was killed at Khaybar and his relatives went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and mentioned that to him. He asked: Have you two witnesses who can testify to the murderer of your friend? They replied: Messenger of Allah! there was not a single Muslim present, but only Jews who sometimes have the audacity to do even greater crimes than this. He said: Then choose fifty of them and demand that they take an oath; but they refused and the Prophet (ﷺ) paid the blood-wit himself.