What is the expiation and punishment for someone who leaves another person to drown in order to save himself, and can he atone for his sin despite being unable to reach the family of the drowned person?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Transporting the boy and helping him cross the river is considered an act of negligence that necessitates a guarantee (daman), because Shafi'i jurists have stipulated that if someone takes a child into water to cross, and the child drowns, then that person is liable. This liability entails two matters: blood money (diyah) to be paid by the 'Aqilah (male agnates), and expiation (), which is fasting for two consecutive months. If there is no 'Aqilah or they refuse to pay, then the diyah is waived according to some jurists, but the kaffarah of fasting for two consecutive months remains obligatory.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/30033
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- Original fatwa ID
- 30033
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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