A New Perspective on Determining the Guarantor of Blood Money for Unintentional Murder and Offense in Islamic Jurisprudence and Law in Light of a Jurisprudential Analysis of Methods of Proof

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 استاد سطوح عالی حوزه؛ دانش آموخته سطح چهار حوزوی و پژوهشگر پژوهشگاه المصطفی ص

2 دانش آموخته سطح سه حوزه علمیه قم، موسسه عالی فقه و علوم اسلامی.

10.22081/jf.2025.71145.2900

Abstract

Based on Sharia, jurists affirm the obligation of blood money (diya) for unintentional murder and injury, and they refer to diya as a financial obligation. According to the majority of jurists’ view, there are ten ways to prove unintentional murder and offense: (1) testimony of two male witnesses (bayyina), (2) the judge’s knowledge, (3) confession, (4) qasaamah by the claimant, (5) one male and two female witnesses, (6) one male witness and the claimant’s oath, (7) two female witnesses and the claimant’s oath, (8) refusal to perform qasaamah, (9) refusal to take an oath, and (10) when the defendant returns the oath to the claimant. However, the majority view holds that only the judge’s knowledge, confession, and bayyina are independent means of proof, and other methods are considered equivalent to bayyina or confession. Regarding the responsibility of paying diya, two views are presented: 1. The responsibility lies with the ‘āqila (the offender’s male relatives), unless the offense is proven by confession or an equivalent method, in which case the offender is responsible. The responsibility lies with the offender, unless the offense is proven by bayyina or an equivalent method, in which case the ‘āqila bears the responsibility. Article 463 of the Islamic Penal Code adopts the first view, specifying six methods for assigning diya payment responsibility: bayyina, the judge’s knowledge, qasaamah, confession, refusal to take an oath, and refusal of qasaamah. However, it does not assign responsibility for the other four methods. Based on an analysis of jurisprudential sources, the methods of proof are independently valid. Only the testimony of "one man and two women" is, by custom, considered equivalent to bayyina. According to relevant Qur’anic verses and narratives about diya, and based on the legal principle of attributing the offense to the offender, the responsibility for paying diya lies with the offender unless the offense is proven by bayyina or the testimony of one man and two women—in which case the ‘āqila is responsible.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 17 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 29 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 May 2025

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