Diya (Islam)

Diyah (Arabic: دية; pl.: diyāt, Arabic: ديات) in Islamic law, is the financial compensation paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of killing, bodily harm or property damage not done deliberately. It is an alternative punishment to qisas (equal retaliation). In Arabic, the word means both blood money and ransom, and it is transcribed sometimes as diya or diyeh. Diya compensation rates have historically varied based on the gender and religion of the victim and whether they are free or slave. (If a killing is intentional, qisas (execution) and not diyah applies unless the family of the victim pardons the killer.) In the modern era, diya plays a role in the legal system of Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In Iran, the diya for recognized religious minorities (Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians, with the exception of evangelical Protestants) is half that of a Muslim man. In Iran the diya for Muslim women in insurance claims, such as the loss of life in automobile accidents, is equal to that of a Muslim man, but is half of that of a Muslim man in certain cases. In Pakistan, the diya is the same for Muslims and non-Muslims, while in Saudi Arabia it differs depending on the religion of the victim. Diyat in Saudi Arabia is the market value of 100 adult camels or their equivalent, which is currently 300,000 to 400,000 riyals. In 2021, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh demanded from the contemporary Bangladesh government 20 to 40 million taka as diyat, equivalent to the value of 100 camels, for each of their slain members.