The Responsibility of the Indirect Cause in Unintentional Acts Leading to Death from the Perspective of Islamic Criminal Jurisprudence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 AL-Mustafa Al-Alamiya Society

2 Professor. Al-Mustafa Al-Alamiyah University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

In Islamic criminal jurisprudence, concepts such as indirect causation (tasbib) and the concurrence of the cause and the direct agent (Ijtima’ sabab wa mubashir) are among the recognized bases for criminal liability. Given the various scenarios under which tasbib may lead to criminal responsibility, this paper employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine the extent of the liability of the indirect cause in a case where an individual engages in behavior that is inherently lethal, but the resulting crime occurs through an unintended factor. Despite intra-sectarian differences in both Jafari and Sunni jurisprudence, the findings of this research suggest that indirect causation of death—even through an unintended method—can in certain cases be considered intentional homicide, warranting qisas (retributive punishment), unless the unintended factor was neither a natural consequence of the intended act nor foreseeable. In such cases, although the criteria for intentional homicide are present, due to precaution, the indirect cause is liable for diyya (blood money); alternatively, if the unintended factor involves human intervention, the indirect cause may be subjected to ta'zir (discretionary punishment).

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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  • Receive Date: 15 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 26 June 2024
  • Accept Date: 23 January 2025

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