The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 247
PT. 5 AN-NISA' CH. 4 خَطَئًا وَمَنْ قَتَلَ مُؤْمِنَّا خَطَا فَتَحْرِيرُ it be by mistake. And he who رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ وَ دِيَةٌ مُسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَى أَهْلِةٍ إِلَّا أَنْ يَصَّدَّقُوا فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمٍ kills a believer by mistake shall free a believing slave, and pay blood money to be handed over to his heirs, unless they remit it عَدَةٍ لَّكُمْ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ as charity. But if the person slain be of a people hostile to مُّؤْمِنَةٍ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ you, and be a believer, then the وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِّيْثَاقُ فَدِيَةٌ مُسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ offender shall free a believing وَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُّؤْمِنَةٍ فَمَنْ لَّمْ يَجِدُ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ تَوْبَةً مِّنَ اللهِ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا slave; and if he be of a people between whom and you is a pact, then the offender shall pay blood money to be handed over to his heirs, and free a believing slave. But whoso finds not one, then he shall fast for two consecutive months- a mercy from Allah. And Allah is All- Knowing, Wise. 561 561. Commentary: a58:5. As the preceding verses contained injunctions which if misconstrued or misapplied, were likely to lead to a Muslim being killed by a Muslim, the present verse gives a timely warning against such an eventuality. The words, It does not become a believer to kill a believer, have been used to make a touching appeal to believers to abstain from killing each other, since they are like brothers. It, in no case, behoves a brother to kill a brother. The words thus contain an important injunction which forms a fitting sequence to the one contained 687 in the preceding verses concerning the hypocrites. The verse cautions a Muslim to be always on his guard lest in carelessness he should happen to kill a brother Muslim. In case the slain person is a believer but happens to belong to a hostile people, then the offender shall only free a believing slave and no blood money shall be levied on him, because money paid to a hostile people would go to strengthen their military power against Islam which can in no case be allowed. In the expression, and if he be of a people between whom and you is a