Book of Jināyāt
Introduction …
Book of Jināyāt
This deals with any assault upon the body that necessitates either retribution (qiṣāṣ) or financial compensation.
Homicide falls into three categories:
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Intentional and hostile killing. Only this type warrants retaliation or the payment of blood-money; the legal heir is given the choice1, and pardoning without compensation is the better course. It is defined as the perpetrator’s deliberately targeting a person he knows to be a protected human being and killing him with something that customarily causes death. If several people jointly set out to kill one victim2, they are all put to death, provided the act of each one of them is, on its own, sufficient to cause death—even if one struck a single blow and another inflicted a hundred. Likewise, whoever severs, removes, or excises a vital organ from a legally competent person without his permission, or from one who is not legally competent without the permission of his guardian, and the victim dies, is subject to retaliation.
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Quasi-intentional killing. This occurs when the aggressor aims at him with an act that normally does not kill and causes no wound; however, if he does wound him3, even slightly, and the victim dies, he is executed in retribution.
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Accidental killing. This is when a person performs an act he is permitted to do—such as pounding, shooting game4, or the like—or thinks5 the target may lawfully be killed, only to discover6 that it was a protected human being.