Abu Dhabi: The Justice Ministry will submit a proposal to the Cabinet to increase blood money from the existing Dh200,000, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Badi, Minister of justice, said in a letter submitted to the Federal National Council. yesterday (Tuesday).
Sultan Juma Al Shamsi, a member from Ajman, asked Al Badi to increase the blood money in view of the sharp increase of prices of camels, the basis of diya in Islam.
Under Islamic Sharia law, a killer can avoid the death sentence and walk free if pardoned by the victim’s relatives in return for blood money.
Blood money in Islam is paid as a compensation for murder, wounds, etc, caused intentionally or unintentionally, to the victim or next of kin.
In the case of premeditated murder, the blood money is payable only if the victim’s next of kin agrees. Otherwise, it is a life for a life. Obviously, just as they can forgive the murderer, they can forgive the blood money also.
The amount of blood money for an accidental murder at the time of the Prophet was 1,000 dinars, or 100 camels of various ages, payable by the males of the extended family. For lesser crimes, if acceptable to the victim, the amount of blood money varies according to damage done; that of a tooth, for instance, is five camels.
Similarly, in the UAE the standard blood money for death is Dh200,000, based on the value of 100 camels when the law took effect, but amounts vary for damage caused to body parts and the resulting disability.
The percentage of the disability will be translated into the same share of the blood money.
So, a person with 25 per cent disability will get Dh50,000 as blood money and as such a person with multiple injuries may get even more than the standard blood money awarded to the family of a victim in the case of death.
