Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 92

92. It is not for a believer to kill another believer, except by mistake [127]. And whoever kills a believer by mistake must free a believing slave and pay blood money to the victim’s family, unless they remit it. If the victim belonged to a people at war with you but was a believer, then only the freeing of a believing slave is required. And if he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty, then blood money must be paid to his family and a believing slave must be freed. But whoever cannot find one, must fast for two consecutive months. This is the way to repent before Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

[127]
Cases of Accidental Killing and Its Expiation:

In this verse, the rulings regarding accidental killing have been mentioned. There can be several forms of accidental killing, for example, if an arrow or stone was thrown intending to hit a target, but it struck a Muslim and he died. The second case is that something was indeed struck intentionally, but the person striking never thought that such a light blow would cause death. The third case is that in a fight or some commotion, a Muslim is killed by mistaking him for a disbeliever. As happened after the defeat in the Battle of Uhud, when, in a state of confusion, the Muslims killed Sayyiduna Huzayfah bin Yaman’sؓ father, Sayyiduna Yamanؓ, thinking he was a disbeliever. Although Sayyiduna Huzayfahؓ kept saying that this is my father, in that chaos, no one heard Sayyiduna Huzayfahؓ’s voice. And the fourth case, which is very common nowadays, is that someone is killed in a traffic accident, either by being run over by a vehicle or struck by it. The rulings or forms of expiation for accidental killing are as follows:
1. If the heirs of the slain are Muslims, then a believing slave (whether male or female) must be freed, and blood money (diyah) must also be paid to the heirs of the slain. The blood money or diyah is one hundred camels or an amount equal to their value, which the heirs of the killer will pay to the heirs of the slain. According to Imam Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him, the maximum period for paying the diyah is up to three years, and the heirs of the slain may forgive this diyah if they wish. And if the killer cannot find a slave to free, then he must fast for two consecutive months. It should be noted that Sayyiduna Huzayfah’sؓ father was martyred in the Battle of Uhud collectively at the hands of several Muslims, whom Sayyiduna Huzayfahؓ openly forgave. And Allah Almighty forgave the mistakes of the people of Uhud, so in that case, there was no question of expiation.
2. If the slain was a believer but belonged to an enemy nation, then the expiation is only to free a Muslim slave. And if that is not possible, then two consecutive months of fasting, and there will be no diyah.
3. And if the slain believer belonged to a nation with whom there is a treaty, then the same rulings apply as in the first case.