the people of gold: one thousand dinars.” (1) Since a dinar was one mithqāl, one thousand dinars equals one thousand mithqāls. The author chose to say “one thousand mithqāls” rather than “one thousand dinars” because dinars may differ. For example, the Saudi dinar is eight mithqāls, whereas in the time of the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, and in the early period of Islam, it was one mithqāl.

His statement, “or twelve thousand dirhams of silver”: “of silver” is a specification. A dirham is seven-tenths of a mithqāl; thus, the Islamic dirham is less than the Islamic dinar. Every ten dirhams equal seven mithqāls, so twelve thousand dirhams equal eight thousand four hundred mithqāls of silver.

When we convert twelve thousand dirhams into the pounds in use today, with each pound being equal to eight mithqāls, they equal one thousand and fifty pounds.

Every two hundred dirhams equal fifty-six Saudi riyals; therefore, the blood-money amounts to three thousand three hundred and sixty Saudi silver riyals.

His statement, “or two hundred cattle or two thousand sheep”: the value of a camel varies