Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Ibn Ashwa’ narrates that Hazrat Sha’bi said: There was a fight between two Arab tribes. Some individuals from this tribe were killed and some from the other tribe as well. One of the tribes said: We will not be satisfied until we kill a man in exchange for a woman and two men in exchange for one man. The people of the other tribe refused this. Then they presented this matter before the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The matter of killing is based on equality. So the people established the custom of blood money among themselves. They considered the blood money of a man for a man, the blood money of a woman for a woman, and the blood money of a slave for a slave to be sufficient. And the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, decided for one of the tribes against the other as follows: The narrator says that the decision is the saying of Allah, the Lord of Honor: Translation: O you who believe! Retaliation (Qisas) is prescribed for you in the case of those killed: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the woman for the woman. Hazrat Sufyan bin Hasan said: The verse: So whoever is pardoned by his brother in any way, then there should be a suitable follow-up and payment to him in a good manner. He said: It means that whoever shows some favor to his brother, he should pay him in a recognized way and follow it in the best manner, up to the saying of Allah, the Lord of Honor { عَذَابٌ أَلِیمٌ}.