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

A boy who has not reached puberty accidentally causes an injury requiring compensation, such as breaking a tooth, putting out an eye, or the like. May those entitled to compensation collect it from the boy’s father alone if he is wealthy, or should they seek it from the boy’s paternal uncle or paternal cousin?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. If he did this accidentally, the compensation is undoubtedly payable by his kin group responsible for such payments, just as in the case of an adult—indeed, all the more so.

If he did it deliberately, his deliberate act is treated as accidental according to the majority of scholars, including Abū Hanīfah, Mālik, Ahmad—according to the well-known position reported from him—and al-Shāfiʿī in one of his two opinions. According to the other opinion reported from al-Shāfiʿī, and also reported from Ahmad, compensation for his deliberate act, if he is not an aggressor, is payable from his own property.

As for the “kin group responsible for payment,” these are his agnatic relatives, such as his paternal uncle and that uncle’s sons, and his brothers and their sons, by scholarly consensus.

A man’s father and son are also included in this kin group according to the majority, including Abū Hanīfah, Mālik, and Ahmad, according to the stronger of the two positions reported from him. According to the other position, which is also al-Shāfiʿī’s view, his father and son are not included in this kin group.