Book of Blood Money

(1) Whoever brings about the death of a human being—whether by his own hand or by a causative act—must pay that person’s full blood money, with the exception of one who disciplines his child, his wife, a minor under his care, or any of his subjects without exceeding due limits. Whoever instructs a legally accountable person to climb a tree or descend a well and that person dies in the process is not liable, even if he is the ruler, just as he would not be liable had he hired him for the task. One is, however, liable for a fetus that a pregnant woman miscarries because of the odor of food or the like, when he knows from common experience that such an odor typically produces that effect.

Section
On the prescribed amounts of blood money for a life

The blood money for a free Muslim male is one hundred camels, or one thousand mithqals of gold, or twelve thousand dirhams of silver, or two hundred cattle, or two thousand sheep. Whichever of these the liable party provides, the guardian of the victim must accept.

In cases of deliberate homicide and what resembles it, the payment is aggravated: twenty-five bint makhāḍ (one-year-old she-camels), twenty-five bint labūn (two-year-old she-camels that have been weaned), twenty-five ḥiqqah (three-year-old she-camels), and twenty-five jazʿah (four-year-old she-camels).

(2) In accidental killing the amount is reduced: twenty from each of the foregoing categories, plus twenty ibn makhāḍ (one-year-old male camels). The same scale applies to the loss of a limb.

The blood money for a scripturalist (Jew or Christian) is half that of a Muslim, whereas the blood money for a Magian or an idol-worshipper is eight hundred dirhams.