Book of Fatal and Non-Fatal

Assault

Retribution for Wounds

اْلقَوَدِ فِي اْلجُرُوْحِ

The Book of Dhihar

Glossary


Retribution for Wounds

For each part of the (victim’s) body, retribution is obligatory on its counterpart (in the offender’s body). Therefore, an eye (is taken) for an eye, a nose for a nose, and each one of the eyelids, lips, tongue, teeth, hands, feet, penis, testicles, for its counterpart – and likewise for every part concerning which retribution is plausible.

يَجِبُ اْلقَــوَدُ فِيْ كُلِّ عُضْـوٍ بِمِثْـلِهِ، فَتُؤْخَذُ اْلعَيْـنُ بِاْلعَيْـنِ، وَاْلأَنْــفُ بِاْلأَنْفِ، وَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ اْلجَفْنِ وَالشَّفَةِ، وَالِّلسَانِ وَالسِّنِّ، وَاْليَدِ وَالرِّجْلِ، وَالذَّكَرِ، وَاْلأُنْثَيَيْنِ بِمِثْلِهِ، وَكَذٰلِكَ كُلُّ مَا أَمْكَنَ اْلقِصَاصُ فِيْهِ.

[Prerequisites for the Obligation of Qiṣâṣ]

The following must be considered (for retribution):
1. The victim must be equal to the offender. 1590
2. The crime must be intentional.
3. There must be assurance there will not be transgression. This assurance is plausible when he cuts at a joint or when the wound has an identifiable extent, such as the moodiḥah (head and face wound that reaches the bone but does not damage it).
As for breaking the bones or cutting at the forearm or leg, there is no retribution in that; nor is there retribution for the penetrating wound (that reaches the hollow interior) or any of the head and face wounds aside from the moodiḥah unless he accepts inflicting a moodiḥah for a wound greater than it. There is no retribution for injuries to the nose, except for injury to the ball of the nose (which is the soft part).

وَيُعْتَبَرُ:
١. كَوْنُ الْمَجْنِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مُكَافِئًا لِلْجَانِيْ
.٢.وَكَوْنُ اْلجِنَايَةِ عَمْدًا
.٣. وَاْلأَمْنُ مِنَ التَّعَدِّيْ، بِأَنْ يُقْطَعَ مِنْ مِفْصَلٍ أَوْ حَدٍّ يَنْتَهِيْ إِلَيْهِ، كَالْمُوْضِحَةِ الَّتِيْ تَنْتَهِيْ إِلَيْهِ اْلعِظَامُ. فَأَمَّا كَسْرُ اْلعِظَامِ، وَاْلقَطْعُ مِنَ السَّاعِدِ وَالسَّاقِ، فَلاَ قَوَدَ فِيْهِ. وَلاَ قَوَدَ فِيْ اْلجَائِفَةِ، وَلاَ فِيْ شَيْءٍ مِنْ شِجَاجِ الرَّأْسِ، إِلاَّ الْمُوْضِحَةِ، إِلاَّ أَنْ يَرْضَى فِيْمَا فَوْقَ اْلمُوْضِحَةِ بِمُوْضِحَةٍ، وَلاَ فِيْ اْلأَنْفِ إِلاَّ مِنَ الْمَارِنِ، وَهُوَ مَا لاَنَ مِنْهُ.

1590. In terms of religion and freedom. In all these cases, just because qiṣâṣ is not obligatory does not mean the judiciary cannot impose any punishment. The punishment should be severe enough to deter people from these crimes.

(-H): A Muslim will be killed for killing a non-Muslim, and a freeman will be killed for killing a slave.

Equality of the part applies to the name and location; thus, the right, left, upper, and lower parts will only be taken for their exact counterparts. The finger, fingertip or tooth will only be taken for its exact counterpart. The whole hand with a full set of fingers will not be taken for a defective one (lacking some fingers); the fine hand is not taken for the paralyzed one. However, the defective may be taken for the whole and the paralyzed one for the fine one, as long as there is assurance that it will not cause death (ensuing from the wound). 1591

وَيُشْتَرَطُ التَّسَاوِيْ فِي اْلاِسْمِ وَالْمَوْضِعِ، فَلاَ تُؤْخَذُ وَاحِدَةٌ مِنَ اْليُمْنىٰ وَاْليُسْرٰى وَاْلعُلْيَا وَالسُّفْلىٰ إِلاَّ بِمِثْلِهَا، وَلاَ تُؤْخَذُ إِصْبَعٌ وَلاَ أَنْمُلَةٌ وَلاَ سِنٌّ إِلاَّ بِمِثْلِهَا، وَلاَ تُؤْخَذُ كَامِلَةُ اْلأَصَابِعِ بِنَاقِصَةٍ، وَلاَ صَحِيْحَةٌ بِشَلاَّءَ. وَتُؤْخَذُ النَّاقِصَةُ بِاْلكَامِلَةِ، وَالشَّلاَّءُ بِالصَّحِيْحَةِ إِذَا أُمِنَ التَّلَفُ.

[Mutilation of Pieces of Body Parts]

Subsection: If one cuts off part of his tongue, tip of the nose, lip, glans, or ear, the equivalent will be cut in retaliation. The equivalence is based on fractions, such as one-half, one-third, and so on.
If the indemnity is taken instead, it is proportionate to that. If one breaks part of his tooth, the equivalent of the broken tooth will be filed off the offender’s tooth, as long as there is assurance it will not be dislodged.
Retribution for the tooth is not executed until there is no hope that the victim’s tooth will re-erupt. Similarly, retaliation is not executed for a wound until it has healed. The complications of the wound inflicted in retribution are not compensable.
The complications of the wound inflicted in aggression warrant retribution or indemnity, but if retribution is taken before it is completely healed, there is no (further) liability for complications that may occur later.

فَصْلٌ: وَإِذَا قَطَعَ بَعْضَ لِسَانِهِ أَوْ مَارِنِهِ أَوْ شَفَتِهِ أَوْ حَشَفَتِهِ أَوْ أُذُنِهِ، أُخِذَ مِثْلُهُ، يُقَدَّرُ بِاْلأَجْزَاءِ، كَالنِّصْفِ وَالثُّلُثِ وَنَحْوِهِمَا.
وَإِنْ أُخِذَتْ دِيَتُهُ، أُخِذَ بِاْلقِسْطِ مِنْهَا.
وَإِنْ كُسِرَ بَعْضُ سِنِّهِ، بُرِدَ مِنْ سِنِّ اْلجَانِيْ مِثْلُهُ، إِذَا أُمِنَ انْقِلاَعُهَا.
وَلاَ يُقْتَصُّ مِنَ السِّنِّ حَتَّى يَيْأَسَ مِنْ عَوْدِهَا، وَلاَ مِنَ اْلجُرْحِ حَتَّى يَبْرَأَ.
وَسِرَايَةُ اْلقَوَدِ مُهْدَرَةٌ.
وَسِرَايَةُ اْلجِنَايَةِ مَضْمُوْنَةٌ بِاْلقِصَاصِ وَالدِّيَةِ، إِلاَّ أَنْ يسْتَوْفي قِصَاصَهَا قَبْلَ بُرْئِهَا، فَيَسْقُطُ ضَمَانُهَا.

1591. Cutting the paralyzed limb could be more dangerous because of the possibility of bleeding until death or an air embolus.

Chapter on Retribution for Wounds

( Page : no 149)