— Sawāʾ: pronounced with an open vowel and a lengthened alif; the sīn may also be read with ḍamma or the word shortened. It means “equal” or “equivalent.” In other words, the diyah (blood money) for every finger is the same, and likewise for every tooth.

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1 – Each hand has ten fingers, and every finger equals one-tenth of the full diyah, measured in camels. There is no distinction between them: the small little finger at the edge of the palm and the large thumb on which grasping depends are identical in diyah. Hence the ten fingers of both hands together make up the complete diyah. The two feet follow the same rule; although the toes differ, each performs a task no other toe can do. Allah is All-Wise, All-Aware.

2 – The teeth number thirty-two: four central incisors, four lateral incisors, four canines, and twenty molars—ten on each side, five in the upper jaw and, directly beneath them, five in the lower; the other side is the same.

3 – Every one of these thirty-two teeth carries the same diyah, for each has its own function—adding beauty, cutting food, chewing, and the like. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote in Miftāḥ Dār al-Saʿādah: “Then Allah adorned the mouth with teeth, which are its beauty and ornament… By them the servant’s body is sustained and nourished. He made some of them millstones for grinding and others tools for cutting; He strengthened their roots, sharpened their crowns, whitened their colour, and arrayed their rows with even heads and harmonious alignment.”

4 – The diyah for each tooth or molar is five camels, so the entire set amounts to 160 camels.