The Holy Quran 2:178 — Surah Al-Baqarah

Arabic text

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

Translation

O you who have Imaan! Qisaas has been made obligatory (has been ordained) for you in the case of murder; a free man (will be executed) for (murdering) a free man, a slave for a slave and a woman for a woman. Whoever (heir) forgives his brother (the murderer) should demand (the Diyah) with kindness (without harshness) and payment should be pleasant (without delay and in full). This (choice between Qisaas and Diyah) is a special consideration from your Rabb and a mercy (because the Jews were compelled to apply Qisaas when a murder was committed and the Christians were compelled to accept Diyah instead). So whoever oversteps the limits (by killing the murderer) after this (after the murderer was forgiven) shall suffer a painful punishment (by being executed in this world and punished in the Aakhirah).

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

The command of equality in qisas: in the time of jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance) the Jews and the Arabs had established the custom that, in qisas (retaliation), in return for a slave of people of noble lineage they would kill a free person from among people of low birth, in return for a woman a man, and in return for one free person two.

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