physical ability. This is when someone shoots a person whom he believes it lawful to kill, although that person’s life is protected—as when someone kills a man in the ranks of the unbelievers, only to discover that he was a Muslim. Errors in knowledge belong to this category. Hence, according to one of the two scholarly opinions, no blood money is due in this case, because the act was one he was commanded to perform, unlike the first case.

Allah Most High also says:

“There is no blame upon you for what you do by mistake, but only for what your hearts deliberately intend.”

He thus distinguishes between the two kinds. Allah Most High also says:

“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake.”

It is established in the Sahīh that Allah Most High said:

“I have done so.”

Thus, the terms khata’ (“error”) and akhta’a (“to err”), when used without qualification, encompass unintentional action. When mentioned alongside forgetfulness or contrasted with deliberate action, they refer unequivocally to unintentional action. With a contextual indication, however, they may denote deliberate action, or both deliberate and unintentional action, as in Ibn ‘Āmir’s reading and in the divine hadith—if its wording is as most hadith scholars transmit it: tukhti’ūna (“you sin”), with a u-vowel on the initial letter.

As for the designation khāti’ (“sinner”), it occurs in the Quran only in reference to sin, in the sense conveyed by khatī’ah (“sin”), as in His saying:

“And seek forgiveness for your sin; indeed, you were among the sinners.”

And His saying:

“Allah has certainly favored you over us, and we were indeed sinners.”

And His saying:

“O our father, seek forgiveness for our sins; indeed, we were sinners.”

And His saying:

“None but sinners will eat it.”