An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 92 of 176

An-Nisa 4:92

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ أَن يَقْتُلَ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا خَطَـًٔا ۚ وَمَن قَتَلَ مُؤْمِنًا خَطَـًٔا فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ وَدِيَةٌ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَصَّدَّقُوا۟ ۚ فَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوْمٍ عَدُوٍّ لَّكُمْ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوْمٍۭ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَـٰقٌ فَدِيَةٌ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِۦ وَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ ۖ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ تَوْبَةً مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

“And never is it for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And whoever kills a believer by mistake - then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment [diyah] presented to his [i.e., the deceased's] family [is required], unless they give [up their right as] charity. But if he [i.e., the deceased] was from a people at war with you and he was a believer - then [only] the freeing of a believing slave; and if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty - then a compensation payment presented to his family and the freeing of a believing slave. And whoever does not find [one or cannot afford to buy one] - then [instead], a fast for two months consecutively,[209] [seeking] acceptance of repentance from Allāh.[210] And Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Taking a believer's life is foreign to faith; even a life lost by mistake carries real weight, and Allah opens a road back.

A reflection

The One who knows what you meant

The ayah ends with two names: Allah is ever Knowing, Wise. After a passage about killing by mistake, the choice is pointed. Only One knows for certain whether a death was an accident or a plan dressed as one.

Human judges weigh evidence, and sometimes they err. A commentary on this ayah preserves a report from Sahih al-Bukhari that shows how seriously the Prophet ﷺ took such errors. He sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to the tribe of Jadhima to call them to Islam. They did not manage to say 'we have become Muslims' and used another word instead. Khalid began to kill them. When the news reached the Prophet ﷺ, he raised his hands and said: O Allah, I am free before You of what Khalid has done. Then he sent ʿAli to pay compensation for every life lost and every thing destroyed, down to a dog's drinking bowl.

That scene humbles every kind of ego. It humbles the commander who acts on a misreading and assumes he was right. It humbles the leader tempted to protect his own people's mistakes. The Messenger ﷺ disowned the act before Allah and paid for it in full.

The names at the end of the ayah complete the lesson. ʿAlīm, the Knowing: He sees intention where no court can. Ḥakīm, the Wise: the root pictures the part of a bridle that checks a bolting horse. His law restrains us for our own good.

Why say this about Himself? Not for praise; He is free of all need (35:15). It reassures the person who truly erred that his heart is known. And it warns anyone who would dress a deliberate act as an accident. There is no costume that fools the One who knows.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.