Chapter on a Muslim Killing a Dhimmi, a Slave, a Mudabbar, or a Mukatab, or Them Killing a Muslim

"Should he be killed for the Muslim he murdered?" Imam (as) replied: "Yes." It was then asked: "And if he does not accept Islam?" Imam (as) said: "He will be handed over to the heirs of the murdered person. If they wish, they may kill him, if they wish, they may pardon him, and if they wish, they may enslave him. And if he possesses any tangible wealth, it will be handed over to the heirs of the murdered person along with him."

"A slave is to be killed for killing a free man, but a free man is not to be killed for killing a slave. However, he must pay the slave's value and be severely beaten so that he does not repeat such an act."

"I prefer that he frees a slave, fasts for two consecutive months, and feeds sixty needy people, and then he should repent after that."

Hadith.5262 - Humran asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who struck his slave, and the slave died as a result of the beating. Imam (as) replied: "He must free a slave."

"If a slave kills a free man, the family of the murdered person has the choice: if they wish, they may kill him, and if they wish, they may enslave him."

Hadith.5265 - Imam Abu Abdullah (as) was asked about a slave who injured a free man. Imam (as) said: "If the free man wishes, he may take retribution (qisas) from him, and if he wishes, he may take the slave if the injury is severe enough to warrant his execution. If the injury does not warrant execution, then the slave's master must pay compensation (diyyah). If the master refuses to pay the compensation, then the injured free man has a right over the slave equivalent to the diyyah of his injury, and the rest belongs to the master. The slave is then sold, the injured party takes his due, and the remainder is returned to the master."

Hadith.5266 - Imam Abu Abdullah (as) was asked about a man who inflicted a mudhiha (a wound exposing the bone) on a slave. Imam (as) said: "He is liable to pay half of one-tenth of the slave's value."

Hadith.5267 - Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) was asked about a slave who injured two men. Imam (as) said: "He is to be divided between them if his crime equals his full value." It was asked: "What if he injured one man in the morning and another in the evening?" Imam (as) replied: "He is to be divided between them as long as the governor has not ruled regarding the first injured person. But if the governor had already ruled and handed the slave over to the first injured party due to his injury, and then the slave committed another injury afterward, then his liability for that second injury falls upon the latter victim."

Hadith.5268 - Abu Abdullah Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) said: "If a free man kills a slave, he must pay the slave's value and be disciplined." It was asked: "What if the value of the slave is twenty thousand?" Imam (as) replied: "The value of a slave cannot exceed the blood money (diyyah) of a free person."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a group of people who claimed that a slave had committed an offense warranting his execution, and the slave confessed to it. Imam (as) said: "The confession of a slave is not valid against his master." Imam (as) further said: "But if they establish evidence for what they claimed against the slave, they may take the slave for it or his master may ransom him."

I asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a mudabbar (a slave promised freedom after the owner's death) who intentionally killed a man. Imam (as) said: "He is to be killed in retaliation." I asked: "What if he killed him by mistake?" Imam (as) replied: "He is handed over to the heirs of the murdered person, and he becomes their slave. If they wish, they can enslave him, and if they wish, they can sell him, but they have no right to kill him." Then Imam (as) said: "O' Abu Muhammad, indeed the mudabbar is still a slave."

I asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a mukatab (a slave who has a contract for gradual emancipation) who unintentionally killed a man. Imam (as) said: "If his master, when drafting the emancipation contract, stipulated that if he fails to fulfill the payment, he would return to slavery, then he is treated like a slave and handed over to the heirs of the murdered person. If they wish, they may enslave him, and if they wish, they may sell him. But if his master, when drafting the contract, did not make such a stipulation and the mukatab had already paid part of the contract amount, then Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) used to say, 'He is freed in proportion to what he has paid of his contract, and it is upon the Imam to pay the heirs of the murdered person an amount equivalent to the portion of freedom the mukatab had earned. The blood of a Muslim must not be wasted.' I (as) also believe that regarding the remaining unpaid portion of the contract, the mukatab should remain as a slave to the heirs of the murdered person, serving them for the rest of his life in proportion to what remains of his contract, but they are not permitted to sell him."

"The compensation is upon the master."

I asked Abu Jafar Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as) about a man who accidentally killed a slave. Imam (as) said: "He must pay the slave's value, and his value should not exceed ten thousand dirhams." I asked: "Who will appraise his value when he is dead?" Imam (as) replied: "If the master has witnesses that his value on the day he was killed was such and such, then the killer must pay that amount. If the master has no witnesses, the killer must swear four times by Allah (swt) that the slave's value was no more than what he has appraised. If he refuses to swear and the oath is passed to the master, then the master is given the amount he swore upon, but the value must not exceed ten thousand dirhams." Imam (as) further said: "If the slave was a believer and he was killed intentionally, the killer must pay his value, free a slave, fast for two consecutive months, feed sixty needy people, and repent to Allah (swt), the Mighty and Majestic."

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a mukatab (a slave who has entered into a contract for his freedom) who committed an offense against a free man. Imam (as) said: "If he has paid part of his mukataba (freedom contract), he is liable for the offense in proportion to what he has paid. If he cannot cover the liability for the offense, the remainder is taken from the master who set the contract with him." I asked: "What if the offense was against another slave?" Imam (as) replied: "It is the same; the mukatab is handed over to the master of the injured slave. There is no compensation between the mukatab and the slave if the mukatab has paid part of his contract. However, if he has not paid anything from his mukataba, then compensation is taken directly from him or his master must pay for all the damage caused by the mukatab because he is still his slave until he pays part of his contract." Imam (as) further said: "The child of a mukataba woman follows her status: if she remains a slave, her child is a slave; and if she is freed, her child is also free."