Are Women Liable for Blood-Money Payment?: An Attempt to Modify a Ḥanafī Rule

Against the view that only men are liable for blood-money payment due for homicide, which goes back to pre-Islamic custom and was adopted by the Sharīʿa, by the fifth/eleventh century a new opinion appeared in Ḥanafī doctrine. According to this opinion, women who perpetrated a homicide were required...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tsafrir, Nurit 1957- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2023
In: Hawwa
Year: 2023, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Pages: 192-211
Further subjects:B Women
B Ḥanafī law
B Homicide
B blood-money payment
B Sharīʿa
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Summary:Against the view that only men are liable for blood-money payment due for homicide, which goes back to pre-Islamic custom and was adopted by the Sharīʿa, by the fifth/eleventh century a new opinion appeared in Ḥanafī doctrine. According to this opinion, women who perpetrated a homicide were required to pay a share of the blood money due. Examining the context of this opinion in Ḥanafī literature, I suggest that it reflects the jurists’ tendency to put more weight on the Islamic principle of individual responsibility, regardless of gender. I propose that this opinion developed among Persian Ḥanafīs in eastern Iran, and follow the path through which it was incorporated into Ḥanafī standard law. Finally, I estimate the extent to which this opinion did influence Ḥanafī doctrine.
ISSN:1569-2086
Contains:Enthalten in: Hawwa
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15692086-bja10029