وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْقِصَاصِ حَيَوٰةٌ يَـٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ 179
Translations
And there is for you in legal retribution [saving of] life, O you [people] of understanding, that you may become righteous.
Transliteration
Wa lakum fil-qisāsi ḥayawatun yā ʾulī al-albāb laʿallakum tattaqūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that in the law of retaliation (qisāṣ) there is life and preservation for society, addressing those of understanding and intellect. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that the deterrent effect of capital punishment for murder prevents people from committing such crimes, thereby preserving the lives of the community as a whole. Al-Qurṭubī emphasizes that this is a merciful divine law, as the fear of proportional punishment restrains the transgressor and protects the innocent.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the section of Surah Al-Baqarah (verses 178-179) that details laws of retaliation and justice in Islamic jurisprudence. The Medinan context reflects the establishment of formal legal systems in the Muslim community, with these verses providing the foundation for criminal justice principles in Islam.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely' (Quran 5:32, related in spirit to this ayah). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet emphasized the sanctity of life and the gravity of murder as one of the greatest sins.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that strict justice systems serve humanitarian purposes by deterring crime and preserving community life, not merely as punishment but as a merciful preservation of society. For modern readers, it emphasizes that accountability and consequences, when applied fairly and proportionally, ultimately protect the vulnerable and maintain social stability rooted in the fear and consciousness of Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ ظَلَمَتْ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَٱفْتَدَتْ بِهِۦ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۖ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
And if each soul that wronged had everything on earth, it would offer it in ransom. And they will confide regret when they see the punishment; and they will be judged in justice, and they will not be wronged.
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ
A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].
ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ
That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allāh is not ever unjust to [His] servants."
لِيُكَفِّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ وَيَجْزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
That Allāh may remove from them the worst of what they did and reward them their due for the best of what they used to do.