ABU DHABI // Diyya is compensation paid to a victim or the victim’s heirs for a crime committed against a life or a body part, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Diyya has its origin in the Quran, the sunnah and the ijma’, where in verse 92 of Surat An-Nisa, Allah says: “Whosoever kills a believer by mistake, [it is ordained that] he must set free a believing slave and a compensation [blood money] be given to the deceased’s family, unless they remit it.”
According to Malik, Ahmed and Al Shafihi’s Old School, the value of the diyya is 100 camels, 1,000 gold dinars or 12,000 silver dinars.
The number of camels cannot be increased, but their value can rise. The price of 100 camels was Dh70,000 but increased to Dh150,000 and then Dh200,000, which is applied today.
For a deliberate killing, diyya is paid by the perpetrator. In the case of an accidental killing, the killer’s male relatives on his father’s side bear the diyya to share his burden because he had an excuse. A person who commits a deliberate killing has no excuse.
The diyya is payable right away and may not be postponed because it is an alternative to capital punishment or qisas.
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Read more:
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Threat of jail hangs over men who owe blood money
Dead teen’s mum finds justice but not peace
Alarm over requests for blood money in the UAE
salnuwais@thenational.ae
