letting him eat before you. There is no objection to this. But as for something that is part of yourself, that is not possible. The utmost that may be involved in altruism is to give someone else preference through the benefit of something external; but giving him preference by giving him something whose loss diminishes your body is not permissible.
Third: the two limbs must be equal in soundness and completeness. Thus, a sound limb is not taken for a paralysed one; nor a complete set of fingers for an incomplete one; nor a sound eye for an eye that remains in place but has lost its sight. The reverse, however, may be taken, with no financial compensation.
His statement, “Third: the two must be equal in soundness and completeness. Thus, a sound limb is not taken for a paralysed one,” means: this is the third of the conditions for retaliation regarding limbs.
What is meant by equality is that the offender’s limb must not be more complete than the victim’s limb. Accordingly, there are three possible cases:
The first is that the offender’s limb is more complete; this is the case under discussion.
The second is that the victim’s limb is more complete. In that case, the offender’s limb may be taken for the victim’s limb.
The third is that they are equal: both the offender’s limb and the victim’s limb are either sound or defective. In light of this, the author’s wording is not precise. The more precise formulation would be: “The offender’s limb must not be more complete than the victim’s limb.” Thus, if the offender’s limb is more complete, it is not amputated for the victim’s limb. If the victim’s hand is paralysed while the offender’s hand is sound, the offender’s hand is not taken for the victim’s hand, due to the disparity between the two hands: the victim’s hand has lost its use, whereas the offender’s hand remains functional. They are therefore not equal, and retaliation is not established, because the offender’s hand is more complete. This is the view held by the majority of the scholars, including the four legal schools, and some have reported it as a consensus.