45/39, 40: Chapter
Sunan an-Nasai 4820 — Diyah for an Unborn Child
The Diyah For A Woman's Fetus
Hadith About Diyah for a Fetus Killed in the Womb
Sunan an-Nasai : 4820
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4820
قَالَ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَضَى فِي الْجَنِينِ يُقْتَلُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ بِغُرَّةٍ عَبْدٍ أَوْ وَلِيدَةٍ فَقَالَ الَّذِي قَضَى عَلَيْهِ كَيْفَ أُغَرَّمُ مَنْ لاَ شَرِبَ وَلاَ أَكَلَ وَلاَ اسْتَهَلّ وَلاَ نَطَقَ فَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ يُطَلّ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّمَا هَذَا مِنَ الْكُهَّانِ " .
Sa'eed bin Al-Musayyab Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah ruled that for a fetus which is killed in the mother's womb, a male or female slave be given (as Diyah). The one against whom he passed this ruling said: "How can I pay blood money for one who neither ate nor drank, or shouted or cried (at the moment of birth)? Such a one should be overlooked." The Messenger of Allah said: "This is one of the soothsayers."'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4820In-book reference : Book 45, Hadith 115English translation : Vol. 5, Book 45, Hadith 4824
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4820
This hadith is about the ruling of Diyah for a fetus killed in the mother's womb. The Messenger of Allah ruled that a male or female slave should be given as compensation. The person who had to pay objected by saying the unborn child had not eaten, drunk, cried, or spoken. The Prophet rejected that kind of argument and called it the speech of soothsayers. The main lesson is that a human life in the womb was not treated as something to ignore in this ruling. This hadith about blood money for an unborn child also shows that clever wording cannot be used to dismiss a Prophetic judgment.
What we learn from this hadith
- The fetus killed in the womb was given a set compensation in this ruling.
- A person should not reject a Prophetic ruling with empty emotional speech.
- The hadith warns against using soothsayer-like language to avoid responsibility.
