“Then he is entitled to the remainder of the blood money.” The blood money is one hundred camels, of which ten camels are deducted, leaving ninety. This applies where the injury proves fatal. If it spreads to the hand, then the hand carries half the blood money, so he is owed forty camels: ten camels are deducted. Hence the author says, “he is entitled to the remainder of the blood money”—that is, the blood money for the life if the injury proves fatal, or the blood money for the hand if it spreads to the hand.
It was also said that he is entitled to nothing at all, and that the injury is without liability, whether he pardoned in return for compensation or without compensation. They explained this by saying that if he pardons outright, without compensation, he has accepted that the injury should go uncompensated and seeks reward from Allah, the Exalted. If he takes compensation, he has accepted what he received, whether it was the blood money, more than it, or less than it; he has taken compensation for the injury. Thus, if it later spreads, he is entitled to nothing. This is supported by what will follow, Allah willing: retaliation is not carried out for a wound before it has healed, nor is blood money claimed for it before it has healed. If blood money is claimed for it and the injury subsequently spreads, then it is without liability.
Accordingly, we would say to the injured party: Wait until you see what the outcome will be, for this injury may spread to the hand or prove fatal, and its consequences have not yet become settled. Therefore, for you to pardon or settle in return for compensation is a mistake; wait. But if you seek reward from Allah and say, “I do not want anything, even if it spreads to my hand or proves fatal,” then that is up to you.
The established position of the school is that he is entitled to the remainder of the blood money, whether he pardoned in return for compensation or without compensation.
What the author has adopted is sounder: if he pardons in return for compensation, he is entitled to the remainder of the blood money; but if the pardon is granted freely, he is entitled to nothing.