if he is capable of it, like other rights. If he is not capable of exacting retaliation, he is ordered to appoint an agent (wakil), because he is unable to exact his own right. If the guardian claims knowledge of how to exact retaliation, and the Sultan enables him to strike his neck, and he strikes his neck and severs it, then he has exacted his right. If he hits someone else and acknowledges that he did so intentionally, he shall be disciplined (ta'zir). If he says, "I made a mistake," and the blow was in a location close to the neck, such as the head or the shoulder, his statement is accepted along with his oath, because this is something where error is permissible. But if it was far, such as the torso or the legs, his statement is not accepted, because such an error does not occur there. Then, if he wishes to return [to exact it], there are two opinions: First, he is not permitted to do so, because it has become clear that he does not know how to exact retaliation, and it is possible he might return to the same action. Second, he is permitted to do so. This was stated by al-Qadi, because the appearance (zahir) suggests he will exercise caution against such an occurrence again. If the guardian does not know how to exact retaliation, he is ordered to appoint an agent for it, because it is his right, so he has the right to appoint an agent to exact it, like his other rights. If he does not find anyone to appoint as an agent except for a fee, he takes the fee from the Bayt al-Mal (Public Treasury). Some of our companions said: A man is paid from the Bayt al-Mal to carry out hadd punishments and qisas (retaliation), because this is among the general public interests. If that is not available, the fee is upon the offender, because it is a fee for fulfilling the right owed by him, so it is upon him, like the fee of the grain measurer in the sale of measured goods. It is also possible that it is upon the one seeking retaliation, because he is his agent, so the fee is upon his principal, like in all other cases. What is upon the offender is to submit to it, not to perform it; for this reason, if he wanted to exact retaliation upon himself, he would not be permitted to do so. Furthermore, if the fee for agency were upon him, then the fee for the guardian would also be incumbent upon him if he exacted it himself. If the offender says, "I will exact retaliation for you from myself," he is not required to be enabled, nor is that permissible for him, because Allah the Exalted said: "And do not kill yourselves." Also, because the meaning of qisas is that one acts upon him as he acted, and because the qisas is a right owed by him to another, so it is not permissible for him to be the one who exacts it, like a seller who does not exact [payment] from himself.
Section: If the qisas belongs to a group of guardians, and they are in dispute over who among them shall oversee
(55) In B: "bi-haqqihi" (his right). (56) Surah al-Nisa: 29.
إذا أَمْكَنَه، كسائِرِ الحُقُوقِ، وإن لم يُحْسِن الاسْتيفاءَ، أمَرَهُ بالتَّوْكيلِ؛ لأنَّه عاجِزٌ عن اسْتيفاءِ حَقِّه، فإن ادَّعَى الوَلِىُّ المعرفةَ بالاسْتيفاءِ، فأمْكَنه السُّلطانُ مِن ضَرْبِ عُنُقِه، فَضَرَبَ عُنُقَه فأبَانَه، فقد اسْتَوْفَى حَقَّه (٥٥)، وإن أصابَ غيرَه، وأقَرَّ بتَعَمُّدِ ذلك، عُزِّرَ. وإن قال: أخْطَأْتُ. وكانت الضَّرْبةُ في مَوْضعٍ قريبٍ من العُنُقِ، كالرَّأْسِ والمَنْكِبِ، قُبِلَ قولُه مع يَمِينِه؛ لأنَّ هذا ممَّا يجوزُ الخَطَأُ في مِثْلِه، وإن كان بَعِيدًا، كالوَسَطِ والرِّجْلينِ، لم يُقْبَلْ قولُه؛ لأنَّ مثلَ هذا لا يَقَعُ الخطأُ فيه. ثم إن أراد العَوْدَ، ففيه وَجْهانِ؛ أحدُهما، لا يُمَكَّنُ منه؛ لأنَّه تبَيَّنَ منه أنَّه لا يُحْسِنُ الاسْتِيفاءَ، ويَحْتَمِلُ العَوْدَ إلى مثلِ فِعْلِه. والثانى، يُمَكَّنُ منه. قاله القاضي: لأنَّ الظَّاهِرَ تَحَرُّزُه عن مثلِ ذلك ثانيًا. وإن كان الوَلِىُّ لا يُحْسِنُ الاسْتيفاءَ، أمَرَه بالتَّوْكِيلِ فيه؛ لأنَّه حَقُّه، فكان له التَّوكيلُ في اسْتيفائِه، كسائرِ حُقُوقِه. فإن لم يَجِدْ مَنْ يُوَكِّلُه إلَّا بعِوَضٍ، أخَذَ العِوَضَ من بيتِ المالِ. قال بعضُ أصحابِنا: يُرْزَقُ من بيتِ المالِ رَجُلٌ يَسْتَوْفِى الحُدُودَ والقِصاصَ؛ لأنَّ هذا من المصالحِ العامَّةِ. فإن لم يَحْصُلْ ذلك، فالأُجْرَةُ على الجانِى؛ لأنَّها أُجْرَةٌ لإِيفاءِ الحقِّ الذي عليه، فكانت عليه، كأُجْرَةِ الكَيَّالِ في بَيْعِ المَكِيلِ. ويَحْتَمِلُ أن تكونَ على المُقْتَصِّ؛ لأنَّه وَكِيلُه، فكانت الأُجْرةُ على مُوَكِّلِه، كسائرِ المواضعِ، والذي على الجانِى التَّمْكينُ دُونَ الفِعْلِ، ولهذا لو أراد أن يَقْتَصَّ من نَفْسِه، لم يُمَكَّنْ منه، ولأنَّه لو كانتْ عليه أُجْرةُ التَّوْكِيلِ، لَلَزِمَتْه أُجْرةُ الوَلِىِّ إذا اسْتَوْفَى بنَفْسِه. وإن قال الجانى: أنا أقْتَصُّ لك من نَفْسِى. لم يَلْزَمْ تَمْكِينُه، ولم يَجُزْ ذلك له؛ لأنَّ اللهَ تعالى قال: {وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ} (٥٦). ولأنَّ معنى القِصاصِ أن يَفْعَلَ به كما فَعَلَ، ولأنَّ القِصاصَ حَقٌّ عليه لغيرِه، فلم يَجُزْ أن يكونَ هو المُسْتَوْفِىَ له، كالبائعِ لا يَسْتَوْفِى من نَفْسِه.
فصل: وإن كان القِصاصُ لجماعةٍ من الأوْلِياءِ، وتَشاحُّوا في المُتَوَلِّى منهم
(٥٥) في ب: "بحقه".(٥٦) سورة النساء ٢٩.
