سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 178
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِصَاصُ فِى ٱلْقَتْلَى ۖ ٱلْحُرُّ بِٱلْحُرِّ وَٱلْعَبْدُ بِٱلْعَبْدِ وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۚ فَمَنْ عُفِىَ لَهُۥ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَىْءٌ فَٱتِّبَاعٌۢ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَآءٌ إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَـٰنٍ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۗ فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَهُۥ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿178﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O you who believe! Al-Qisâs (the Law of Equality in punishment) is prescribed for you in case of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But if the killer is forgiven by the brother (or the relatives, etc.) of the killed against blood-money, then adhering to it with fairness and payment of the blood-money to the heir should be made in fairness. This is an alleviation and a mercy from your Lord. So after this whoever transgresses the limits (i.e. kills the killer after taking the blood-money), he shall have a painful torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O you
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
who
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
believe[d]
كُتِبَ
kutiba
Prescribed
عَلَيْكُمُ
ʿalaykumu
for you
ٱلْقِصَاصُ
l-qiṣāṣu
(is) the legal retribution
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْقَتْلَى ۖ
l-qatlā
(the matter of) the murdered
ٱلْحُرُّ
l-ḥuru
the freeman
بِٱلْحُرِّ
bil-ḥuri
for the freeman
وَٱلْعَبْدُ
wal-ʿabdu
and the slave
بِٱلْعَبْدِ
bil-ʿabdi
for the slave
وَٱلْأُنثَىٰ
wal-unthā
and the female
بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ۚ
bil-unthā
for the female
فَمَنْ
faman
But whoever
عُفِىَ
ʿufiya
is pardoned
لَهُۥ
lahu
[for it]
مِنْ
min
from
أَخِيهِ
akhīhi
his brother
شَىْءٌۭ
shayon
anything
فَٱتِّبَاعٌۢ
fa-ittibāʿun
then follows up
بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ
bil-maʿrūfi
with suitable
وَأَدَآءٌ
wa-adāon
[and] payment
إِلَيْهِ
ilayhi
to him
بِإِحْسَـٰنٍۢ ۗ
bi-iḥ'sānin
with kindness
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That (is)
تَخْفِيفٌۭ
takhfīfun
a concession
مِّن
min
from
رَّبِّكُمْ
rabbikum
your Lord
وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۗ
waraḥmatun
and mercy
فَمَنِ
famani
Then whoever
ٱعْتَدَىٰ
iʿ'tadā
transgresses
بَعْدَ
baʿda
after
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
فَلَهُۥ
falahu
then for him
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
(is) a punishment
أَلِيمٌۭ
alīmun
painful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
178. O you who believe! Retribution (qisas) [222] has been prescribed for you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made to the offender by the (victim’s) brother, then there should be a fair demand, and payment should be made to him in a good manner. This (payment of blood money) is a concession and a mercy from your Lord. But whoever transgresses after that will have a painful punishment [224].
[222]
The Laws of Qisas:
Qisas means taking a life for a life. Then, according to the classes of society in the Prophetic era, the command was given: for a free man, only a free man from the killer’s tribe will be killed; a woman or a slave will not be killed. Similarly, for a slave, neither a free man nor a woman will be killed. Allah Almighty has explained this detail because the custom of that era was that if a respected person of a tribe was killed by an ordinary person of another tribe, they did not consider the killing of the actual murderer sufficient. Rather, their desire was that either a similarly respected person from the killer’s tribe be killed or several people from that tribe be killed in exchange. On the contrary, if the murdered person was of low status and the killer was a respected person, they would not tolerate that the killer’s life be taken in exchange for the murdered person. And this matter is not limited to that era only; even today’s civilized ruling nations do the same. If the killer belongs to the ruling nation, the court does not have the authority to issue a qisas verdict against him, and if, unfortunately, a person from the ruling nation is killed by a subject, then know that the entire nation will not be spared and various calamities are imposed upon them. To prevent these evils, Allah Almighty has said that for the murdered person, only the killer and only the killer’s life will be taken; it will not be considered who the killer is and who the murdered person is.
[223]
Murder is a Compoundable Offense:
By referring to the heir of the murdered person as the killer's brother, a very subtle recommendation is made for him to show leniency towards him, i.e., to forgive qisas and accept blood money (diyat). From this verse, it is also understood that even a murder case is compoundable in Islam, whereas according to English law, this crime is not compoundable. Among the previous nations, Allah Almighty made qisas obligatory upon the Jews; they did not have the law of forgiveness, and among the Christians, there was only the command of forgiveness, not of qisas. Allah Almighty has shown ease and mercy to this Ummah and allowed both options. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The heirs of the murdered person have the choice of two things: either they take compensation or qisas. [بخاري كتاب فى اللقطة باب كيف تعرف اهل مكة اهل مكه نيز مسلم، كتاب الحج، باب تحريم مكة]
Qisas and Diyat:
However, you ﷺ preferred «عفو» over qisas; you yourself would forgive and recommend accepting diyat, and you would also advise the Companions ؓ to do the same. Once, a man was killed. You handed the killer over to the heirs of the murdered person. The killer said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I did not intend to kill.” You said to the heir of the murdered person, “If he is truthful and you kill him, you will go to Hell.” Hearing this, the heir of the murdered person forgave the killer. [ترمذي۔ ابواب الديات باب ماجاء فى حكم ولي القتيل]
Here, a question arises: at the beginning of this verse, the words ﴿كتب عليٰ﴾ demand the obligation and compulsion of qisas. Yet, the concession or permission of diyat is also mentioned. In fact, if the heirs of the murdered person forgive, it is considered a better act. So what remains of the obligation or compulsion of qisas? The answer is that the address of this verse is towards the Islamic society or Islamic government: it is the government’s responsibility to definitely take qisas for unlawful bloodshed, whether the murdered person has any heirs or not. It is also possible that the murdered person has heirs, but they have no interest in taking qisas, or it is also possible that, for some worldly interests, the murder itself was committed at the instigation of the heirs. Whatever the case, it is the government’s responsibility to arrest the criminal and bring him to justice.
The Wisdom of Diyat:
After this, Allah Almighty has mentioned the concession of diyat, and this choice is only for the heirs of the murdered person, and there are many wisdoms and benefits for people in this. When the heirs of the murdered person are given the choice of qisas or diyat by the government, their vengeful feelings against the killer subside, and a way is found for the healing of a great wound. And if they adopt a lenient attitude instead of taking life for life, then, firstly, the killer’s life is spared and a favor is done to the killer and his family, from which very beneficial results can be expected in the future. Secondly, in this case, the heirs of the murdered person also receive financial assistance, and if they are poor, they can get great support. All these matters will be settled through the government, but according to the wishes of the heirs of the murdered person. If all this authority is given only to the government, then the heirs of the murdered person are completely deprived of all these benefits.
[224] In the commentary of this verse, Abdullah ibn Abbas ؓ says that among the Children of Israel, there was qisas but no system of diyat. After making qisas obligatory upon this Ummah, Allah Almighty said ﴿فَاتِّبَاعٌۢ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ﴾, which refers to the demand for diyat, and ﴿وَاَدَاءٌ اِلَيْهِ بِاِحْسَانٍ﴾ means that the killer should pay without any objection. This is a concession compared to the previous people. ﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَيٰ بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ﴾ means that after accepting diyat, he still kills him. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير، زير آيت مذكوره]
If there is corruption in a person’s intention, many forms of excess can arise. One form is the one mentioned in the above verse: the heir of the murdered person temporarily accepts diyat and gains financial benefit, but whenever he gets the chance, he kills the killer. Similarly, it is possible that the killer and his heirs, under government pressure, pay diyat, but later they start planning new injustices, theft, or robbery, etc., against the heirs of the murdered person. In all such cases, they will be deserving of Allah’s wrath.
[222]
The Laws of Qisas:
Qisas means taking a life for a life. Then, according to the classes of society in the Prophetic era, the command was given: for a free man, only a free man from the killer’s tribe will be killed; a woman or a slave will not be killed. Similarly, for a slave, neither a free man nor a woman will be killed. Allah Almighty has explained this detail because the custom of that era was that if a respected person of a tribe was killed by an ordinary person of another tribe, they did not consider the killing of the actual murderer sufficient. Rather, their desire was that either a similarly respected person from the killer’s tribe be killed or several people from that tribe be killed in exchange. On the contrary, if the murdered person was of low status and the killer was a respected person, they would not tolerate that the killer’s life be taken in exchange for the murdered person. And this matter is not limited to that era only; even today’s civilized ruling nations do the same. If the killer belongs to the ruling nation, the court does not have the authority to issue a qisas verdict against him, and if, unfortunately, a person from the ruling nation is killed by a subject, then know that the entire nation will not be spared and various calamities are imposed upon them. To prevent these evils, Allah Almighty has said that for the murdered person, only the killer and only the killer’s life will be taken; it will not be considered who the killer is and who the murdered person is.
[223]
Murder is a Compoundable Offense:
By referring to the heir of the murdered person as the killer's brother, a very subtle recommendation is made for him to show leniency towards him, i.e., to forgive qisas and accept blood money (diyat). From this verse, it is also understood that even a murder case is compoundable in Islam, whereas according to English law, this crime is not compoundable. Among the previous nations, Allah Almighty made qisas obligatory upon the Jews; they did not have the law of forgiveness, and among the Christians, there was only the command of forgiveness, not of qisas. Allah Almighty has shown ease and mercy to this Ummah and allowed both options. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The heirs of the murdered person have the choice of two things: either they take compensation or qisas. [بخاري كتاب فى اللقطة باب كيف تعرف اهل مكة اهل مكه نيز مسلم، كتاب الحج، باب تحريم مكة]
Qisas and Diyat:
However, you ﷺ preferred «عفو» over qisas; you yourself would forgive and recommend accepting diyat, and you would also advise the Companions ؓ to do the same. Once, a man was killed. You handed the killer over to the heirs of the murdered person. The killer said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I did not intend to kill.” You said to the heir of the murdered person, “If he is truthful and you kill him, you will go to Hell.” Hearing this, the heir of the murdered person forgave the killer. [ترمذي۔ ابواب الديات باب ماجاء فى حكم ولي القتيل]
Here, a question arises: at the beginning of this verse, the words ﴿كتب عليٰ﴾ demand the obligation and compulsion of qisas. Yet, the concession or permission of diyat is also mentioned. In fact, if the heirs of the murdered person forgive, it is considered a better act. So what remains of the obligation or compulsion of qisas? The answer is that the address of this verse is towards the Islamic society or Islamic government: it is the government’s responsibility to definitely take qisas for unlawful bloodshed, whether the murdered person has any heirs or not. It is also possible that the murdered person has heirs, but they have no interest in taking qisas, or it is also possible that, for some worldly interests, the murder itself was committed at the instigation of the heirs. Whatever the case, it is the government’s responsibility to arrest the criminal and bring him to justice.
The Wisdom of Diyat:
After this, Allah Almighty has mentioned the concession of diyat, and this choice is only for the heirs of the murdered person, and there are many wisdoms and benefits for people in this. When the heirs of the murdered person are given the choice of qisas or diyat by the government, their vengeful feelings against the killer subside, and a way is found for the healing of a great wound. And if they adopt a lenient attitude instead of taking life for life, then, firstly, the killer’s life is spared and a favor is done to the killer and his family, from which very beneficial results can be expected in the future. Secondly, in this case, the heirs of the murdered person also receive financial assistance, and if they are poor, they can get great support. All these matters will be settled through the government, but according to the wishes of the heirs of the murdered person. If all this authority is given only to the government, then the heirs of the murdered person are completely deprived of all these benefits.
[224] In the commentary of this verse, Abdullah ibn Abbas ؓ says that among the Children of Israel, there was qisas but no system of diyat. After making qisas obligatory upon this Ummah, Allah Almighty said ﴿فَاتِّبَاعٌۢ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ﴾, which refers to the demand for diyat, and ﴿وَاَدَاءٌ اِلَيْهِ بِاِحْسَانٍ﴾ means that the killer should pay without any objection. This is a concession compared to the previous people. ﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدَيٰ بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ﴾ means that after accepting diyat, he still kills him. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير، زير آيت مذكوره]
If there is corruption in a person’s intention, many forms of excess can arise. One form is the one mentioned in the above verse: the heir of the murdered person temporarily accepts diyat and gains financial benefit, but whenever he gets the chance, he kills the killer. Similarly, it is possible that the killer and his heirs, under government pressure, pay diyat, but later they start planning new injustices, theft, or robbery, etc., against the heirs of the murdered person. In all such cases, they will be deserving of Allah’s wrath.
