have them executed, they may do so according to most scholars, including Abū Hanīfa, Mālik, and Ahmad according to one of the two reports from him. Likewise, if the minors’ guardian—whether the judge or someone else—agrees with the adult heirs to their execution, they may have them executed.

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

If someone kills a believer deliberately or accidentally, and the victim’s heirs and the ruler exact retaliation from him in this world, will he also be subject to retaliation in the Hereafter? Allah Most High has said:

“A life for a life.”

He replied:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. No retaliation is exacted from an accidental killer, either in this world or in the Hereafter. Rather, what is obligatory in such a case is expiation and blood money paid to the victim’s family, unless they waive it as an act of charity.

As for the “deliberate killer,” if retaliation is exacted from him in this world, may the victim still claim his due in the Hereafter? There are two views on this in Ahmad’s school and, I believe, in other schools as well. Some say that the victim has no further claim against him, because what he owed has already been exacted from him in this world.

Others say that the victim still has a claim against him, for his right is not extinguished by the heirs’ execution of the killer, just as Allah’s right is not extinguished by that. Likewise, the right of a wronged person whose property was seized is not extinguished when it is returned to his heirs. Rather, he may demand recompense from the wrongdoer for depriving him of its use during his lifetime. And Allah knows best.