Why is the blood money (diyah) for a slain man double that for a woman?
The blood money (Diyah) for a free Muslim woman is half that of a free Muslim man. This has been established by sound legal texts and is a matter of scholarly consensus, with the exception of a rare, anomalous opinion. Ibn Qudamah also reported the consensus of the scholars on this matter. It is incumbent upon a Muslim to submit to Allah's ruling, whether or not the wisdom behind it is understood, in accordance with His (the Almighty's) saying: "It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have [any] option in their decision," and His saying: "But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full] submission." Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned that the wisdom behind this is that a woman is less complete than a man, and a man is more beneficial than her, as a man fills religious positions, leadership roles, engages in jihad, and develops the earth in ways a woman does not. Thus, her value (blood money) was half his value due to the difference between them.
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- 57265
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