Muwatta Imam Malik, Book of Blood-Money

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm from his father that in a letter which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent to Amr ibn Hazm about blood-money he wrote that it was one hundred camels for a life, one hundred camels for a nose if completely removed, a third of the blood-money for a wound in the brain, the same as that for a belly wound, fifty for an eye, fifty for a hand, fifty for a foot, ten camels for each finger, and five for teeth, and five for a head wound which laid bare the bone.

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ حَزْمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ فِي الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي، كَتَبَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِعَمْرِو بْنِ حَزْمٍ فِي الْعُقُولِ أَنَّ فِي النَّفْسِ مِائَةً مِنَ الإِبِلِ وَفِي الأَنْفِ إِذَا أُوعِيَ جَدْعًا مِائَةٌ مِنَ الإِبِلِ وَفِي الْمَأْمُومَةِ ثُلُثُ الدِّيَةِ وَفِي الْجَائِفَةِ مِثْلُهَا وَفِي الْعَيْنِ خَمْسُونَ وَفِي الْيَدِ خَمْسُونَ وَفِي الرِّجْلِ خَمْسُونَ وَفِي كُلِّ أُصْبُعٍ مِمَّا هُنَالِكَ عَشْرٌ مِنَ الإِبِلِ وَفِي السِّنِّ خَمْسٌ وَفِي الْمُوضِحَةِ خَمْسٌ .

Malik related to me that he had heard that Umar ibn al-Khattab estimated the full blood-money for the people of urban areas. For those who had gold, he made it one thousand dinars. and for those who had silver he made it ten thousand dirhams.
Malik said, "The people of gold are the people of ash-Sham and the people of Egypt. The people of silver are the people of Iraq "
Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the blood-money was divided into instalments over three or four years.
Malik said, "Three is the most preferable to me of what I have heard on that."
Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things in our community is that camels are not accepted from the people of cities for blood-money nor is gold or silver accepted from the desert people. Silver is not accepted from the people of gold and gold is not accepted from the people of silver."

حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَوَّمَ الدِّيَةَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَجَعَلَهَا عَلَى أَهْلِ الذَّهَبِ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ وَعَلَى أَهْلِ الْوَرِقِ اثْنَىْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ فَأَهْلُ الذَّهَبِ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ وَأَهْلُ مِصْرَ وَأَهْلُ الْوَرِقِ أَهْلُ الْعِرَاقِ . وَحَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى عَنْ مَالِكٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَّ الدِّيَةَ تُقْطَعُ فِي ثَلاَثِ سِنِينَ أَوْ أَرْبَعِ سِنِينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالثَّلاَثُ أَحَبُّ مَا سَمِعْتُ إِلَىَّ فِي ذَلِكَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّهُ لاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فِي الدِّيَةِ الإِبِلُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعَمُودِ الذَّهَبُ وَلاَ الْوَرِقُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الذَّهَبِ الْوَرِقُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْوَرِقِ الذَّهَبُ .

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab said, "The full blood-money for murder when it is accepted is twenty-five yearlings, twenty-five two-year-olds, twenty-five four-year-olds, and twenty-five five-year-olds."

حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَوَّمَ الدِّيَةَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَجَعَلَهَا عَلَى أَهْلِ الذَّهَبِ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ وَعَلَى أَهْلِ الْوَرِقِ اثْنَىْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ فَأَهْلُ الذَّهَبِ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ وَأَهْلُ مِصْرَ وَأَهْلُ الْوَرِقِ أَهْلُ الْعِرَاقِ . وَحَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى عَنْ مَالِكٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَّ الدِّيَةَ تُقْطَعُ فِي ثَلاَثِ سِنِينَ أَوْ أَرْبَعِ سِنِينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالثَّلاَثُ أَحَبُّ مَا سَمِعْتُ إِلَىَّ فِي ذَلِكَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّهُ لاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فِي الدِّيَةِ الإِبِلُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعَمُودِ الذَّهَبُ وَلاَ الْوَرِقُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الذَّهَبِ الْوَرِقُ وَلاَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْوَرِقِ الذَّهَبُ .

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Marwan ibn al-Hakam wrote to Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan that a madman was brought to him who had killed a man. Muawiya wrote to him, "Tie him up and do not inflict any retaliation on him. There is no retaliation against a madman."
Malik said about an adult and a child when they murder a man together, "The adult is killed and the child pays half the full blood-money."
Malik said, "It is like that with a freeman and a slave when they murder a slave. The slave is killed and the freeman pays half of his value."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّ مَرْوَانَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ، كَتَبَ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ أَنَّهُ أُتِيَ بِمَجْنُونٍ قَتَلَ رَجُلاً . فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ مُعَاوِيَةُ أَنِ اعْقِلْهُ وَلاَ تُقِدْ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى مَجْنُونٍ قَوَدٌ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الْكَبِيرِ وَالصَّغِيرِ إِذَا قَتَلاَ رَجُلاً جَمِيعًا عَمْدًا أَنَّ عَلَى الْكَبِيرِ أَنْ يُقْتَلَ وَعَلَى الصَّغِيرِ نِصْفُ الدِّيَةِ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَكَذَلِكَ الْحُرُّ وَالْعَبْدُ يَقْتُلاَنِ الْعَبْدَ فَيُقْتَلُ الْعَبْدُ وَيَكُونُ عَلَى الْحُرِّ نِصْفُ قِيمَتِهِ .

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Irak ibn Malik and Sulayman ibn Yasar that a man of the Banu Sad ibn Layth was running a horse and it trod on the finger of a man from the Juhayna tribe. It bled profusely, and he died. Umar ibn al-Khattab said to those against whom the claim was made. "Do you swear by Allah with fifty oaths that he did not die of it?" They refused and stopped themselves from doing it. He said to the others, "Will you take an oath?" They refused, so Umar ibn al-Khattab gave a judgement that the Banu Sad had to pay half the full blood-money.
Malik said, "One does not act on this."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab, Sulayman ibn Yasar, and Rabia ibn Abi Abd ar-Rahman said, "The blood-money of manslaughter is twenty yearlings, twenty two-year-olds, twenty male two-year-olds, twenty four-year-olds, and twenty five-year-olds."
Malik said, "The generally agreed on way with us is that there is no retaliation against children. Their intention is accidental. The hudud are not obliged for them if they have not yet reached puberty. If a child kills someone it is only accidentally. Had a child and an adult killed a free man accidentally, each of them pays half the full blood-money."
Malik said, "A person who kills someone accidentally pays blood-money with his property and there is no retaliation against him. That money is like anything else from the dead man's property and his debt is paid with it and he is allowed to make a bequest from it. If he has a total property of which the blood-money is a third and then the blood-money is relinquished, that is permitted to him. If all the property he has is his blood-money, he is permitted to relinquish a third of it and to make that a bequest."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .

Malik related to me that the generally agreed on way of doing things amongst the community about an accident is that there is no blood-money until the victim is better. If a man's bone, either a hand, or a foot, or another part of his body, is broken accidentally and it heals and becomes sound and returns to its form, there is no blood-money for it. If the limb is impaired or there is a scar on it, there is blood-money for it according to the extent that it is impaired.
Malik said, "If that part of the body has a specific blood-money mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ it is according to what the Prophet ﷺ specified. If it is part of what does not have a specific blood-money for it mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ and if there is no previous sunna about it or specific blood-money, one uses ijtihad about it."
Malik said, "There is no blood-money for an accidental bodily injury when the wound heals and returns to its form. If there is any scar or mark in that, ijtihad is used about it except for the belly-wound. There is a third of the blood-money of a life for it. "
Malik said, "There is no blood-money for the wound which splinters a bone in the body, and it is like the wound to the body which lays bare the bone."
Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things in our community is that when the doctor performs a circumcision and cuts off the glans, he must pay the full blood-money. That is because it is an accident which the tribe is responsible for, and the full blood money is payable for all that in which a doctor errs or exceeds, when it is not intentional."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab said, "The blood-money for a woman is the same as for a man up to one third of the blood-money. Her finger is like his finger, her tooth is like his tooth, her injury which lays bare the bone is like his, and her head wound which splinters the bone is like his."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab and also Urwa ibn az-Zubayr said the same as Said ibn al-Musayyab said about a woman. Her blood-money from a man is the same up to a third of the blood-money of a man. If what she is owed exceeds a third of the blood-money of the man, she is given up to half of the blood-money of a man.
Malik said, "The explanation of that is that she has blood-money for a head wound that lays bare the bone and one that splinters the bone and for what is less than the brain wound and the belly wound and the like of that of those which obliges a third of the blood-money or more. If the amount owed her exceeds that, her blood- money in that is half of the blood-money of a man."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard Ibn Shihab say, "The precedent of the sunna when a man injures a woman is that he must pay the blood- money for that injury and there is no retaliation against him."
Malik said, "That is an accidental injury, when a man strikes a woman and hits with a blow what he did not intend, for instance, if he struck her with a whip and cut her eye open and the like of that."
Malik said about a woman who has a husband and children who are not from her paternal relatives or her people, that since he is from another tribe, there is no blood-money against her husband for her criminal action, nor any against her children if they are not from her people, nor any against her maternal brothers when they are not from her paternal relations or her people. These are entitled to her inheritance but only the paternal relations have paid blood-money from since the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Until today it is like that with the mawla of a woman. The inheritance they leave goes to the children of the woman even if they are not from her tribe, but the blood-money of the criminal act of the mawla is only against her tribe."

حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عِرَاكِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَسُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنْ بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ لَيْثٍ أَجْرَى فَرَسًا فَوَطِئَ عَلَى إِصْبَعِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ فَنُزِيَ مِنْهَا فَمَاتَ . فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِلَّذِي ادُّعِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَتَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ خَمْسِينَ يَمِينًا مَا مَاتَ مِنْهَا فَأَبَوْا وَتَحَرَّجُوا وَقَالَ لِلآخَرِينَ أَتَحْلِفُونَ أَنْتُمْ فَأَبَوْا فَقَضَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِشَطْرِ الدِّيَةِ عَلَى السَّعْدِيِّينَ . قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَلَيْسَ الْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا .