Crime, Classification and Punishment in Islamic Law
Crime, Classification and Punishment in Islamic Law
Crime, Classification and Punishment in Islamic Law
• CRIME – AL-JARIMAH.
• TECHNICALLY, JARIMAH REFERS TO PROHIBITION IMPOSED BY ALLAH, THE
VIOLATION WHICH GIVES RISE TO PUNISHMENTS KNOWN IN ARABIC AS
‘UQUBAT’ ()ا لعقوبة. THE PUNISHMENTS TAKE THE FORMS OF HADD, QISAS & TA’ZIR.
• THUS, CRIME MAY BE DEFINED AS THE LEGAL PROHIBITION IMPOSED BY ALLAH,
VIOLATION OF WHICH IS PUNISHABLE BY HADD, QISAS & TA’ZIR.
• THIS SHOWS THAT FOR ANYONE WHO COMMITS A CRIME, THE LAW WILL GRANT
A REMEDY BY WAY OF PUNISHMENT.
DEFINITION OF CRIME
• CRIME & ITS PUNISHMENT DIVERT HUMAN ATTENTION TO THE FEAR OF ALLAH &
THE FEAR OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, WHICH PROVE MORE EFFECTIVE IN
PURIFYING THE MIND OF THE CRIMINAL & EDUCATING HIM THAN ANY OTHER
KNOWN METHOD.
• CRIMES WHICH INJURE OR INFLICT WOUNDS ON OTHER INDIVIDUALS ARE
OPPRESSIVE TO HUMAN BEINGS & OFFENSIVE TO THE CREATOR.
DEFINITION OF CRIME
• IN ALL CRIMES, THE RIGHT OF ALLAH & THE RIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL ARE
INFRINGED BECAUSE THE PERPETRATORS OF SUCH CRIMES ARE OFFENDERS TO
BOTH.
• HOWEVER, IN SOME CASES OF CRIME, THE RIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL IS
DOMINANT & IN SOME, THE RIGHT OF ALLAH IS MORE CONSPICUOUS
(NOTICEABLE)
• WHERE THE RIGHT OF ALLAH IS DOMINANT, THE PUNISHMENT IS CALLED HADD.
• WHERE THE RIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL IS DOMINANT, THE PUNISHMENT IS
CALLED QISAS.
CLASSIFICATION
Maqasid
shari’ah
The classification Crimes
can be looked with an
into several impact on
contexts: social life
& other
crimes
Punishmen
ts
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES IN THE CONTEXT
OF MAQASID AL-SHARI’AH
Maqasid al-Shari’ah
مقاصد الشريعة
Dignity or
Religion Life Mind Property
lineage
الدين النفس العقل النسب المال
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES IN THE CONTEXT
OF MAQASID AL-SHARI’AH
• ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW AIMS AS:
Other
crimes
• Ta’zir
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE
Crimes with an impact
on social life
Crimes affecting
Crimes affecting social life consists
social existence of offences
comprise offences involving qisas
liable to hudud (retaliation) & diyat
(blood money)
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE - HUDUD
• HUDUD IS THE PLURAL FORM OF HADD MEANING PREVENTION, RESTRAINT,
OBSTRUCTION, HINDRANCE & PROHIBITION.
• S. 52 SPCO, 2013
• HAD IS ALSO DEFINED AS THE PUNISHMENT PRESCRIBED AS THE RIGHT OF ALLAH.
• WHAT IS MEANT BY ‘PRESCRIBED AS THE RIGHT OF ALLAH?’
• IT MEANS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS & THE PUBLIC CANNOT ANNUL IT.
• THE COURT IS ALSO NOT EMPOWERED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THEM.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE - HUDUD
• PUNISHMENT IS TREATED AS THE RIGHT OF ALLAH IN CONSIDERATION OF THE
DEMANDS OF PUBLIC INTEREST WHICH IMPLIES THAT THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE
PROTECTED FROM BREACH OF PEACE & THEIR SAFETY & SECURITY IS
ENSURED.
• ANY OFFENCE THAT DOES HARM PEOPLE & THE PUNISHMENT BENEFITS THEM,
THE PUNISHMENT MUST BE TREATED AS THE RIGHT OF ALLAH.
• SUCH PUNISHMENT IS NOT AMENDABLE TO INVALIDATION BY THE INDIVIDUALS
OR THE SOCIETY.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE - HUDUD
• HENCE, WHOEVER IS GUILTY OF CRIMES UNDER HUDUD SHALL BE PUNISHED
WITH THE CORRESPONDING PUNISHMENT.
• THE JUDGE OR PERSON IN AUTHORITY SHALL HAVE NO POWER TO FORGIVE THE
CRIME OR REMIT (STOP) THE PUNISHMENT.
• AS TO HUDUD OFFENCES, SHARIAH FOCUSES ITS ATTENTION ON SAFEGUARDING
THE SOCIETY AGAINST CRIME IN TOTAL DISREGARD OF THE OFFENDER’S
PERSON.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE - HUDUD
• THE REASON FOR SUCH STRICT PUNISHMENTS IS THAT THEY ARE IMMENSELY
GRAVE & DANGEROUS.
• ANY LAXITY (LENIENCY) IN DEALING THEM WOULD LEAD TO DECADENCE
(EVIL/CORRUPTION), DISORDER & DISCONTENT IN THE SOCIETY.
• S. 52 (1) OF SYARIAH PENAL CODE ORDER, 2013
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE - HUDUD
• THE CRIMES INVOLVING HUDUD ARE:
• ADULTERY ا لزنا,
• FALSE ALLEGATION OF ADULTERY ا لقذف,
• DRINKING ب لخمر
ش ر ا,
• THEFT ا لسرقة,
• ROBBERY ا لحرابة,
• APOSTASY ا لردة
• REBELLION ا لبغ اة
Adultery
ا لزنا
False
Rebellion allegation
ا لبغ اة of adultery
ا لقذف
Hudu
Apostasy d ح دود Drinking
ا لردة ب لخمر
شر ا
Robbery Theft
ا لحرابة ا لسرقة
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE – QISAS & DIYAT
• S. 118, 119 SPCO, 2013.
• MURDER IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CRIME KNOWN TO HUMAN SOCIETY.
• MURDER IS LOOKED UPON BY ALLAH & HIS MESSENGER WITH UTTER DISGUST.
• IN ISLAMIC LAW, THE PUNISHMENT PRESCRIBED FOR INTENTIONAL MURDER &
THE INFLICTION OF INJURY IS QISAS.
• AMONG THE FEATURES OF PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA IS THE CONCEPT OF REVENGE
FOR HOMICIDE. BUT REVENGE WAS NOT ONLY AGAINST THE MURDERER BUT
ALSO AGAINST ANY OF HIS FELLOW-TRIBESMEN. THIS PRE-ISLAMIC CUSTOM OF
REVENGE WAS ALTERED TO ISLAMIC LAW OF QISAS.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE – QISAS & DIYAT
• QISAS SIGNIFIES RETALIATION BY SLAYING FOR SLAYING, WOUNDING FOR
WOUNDING & MUTILATING FOR MUTILATING, ETC.
• QISAS IS DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES NAMELY QISAS FOR MURDER & QISAS
FOR WOUNDS OR INJURY.
• THESE PUNISHMENTS HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED AS RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS
WHICH CAN BE REMITTED (PARDONED) OR ALTERED BY THE VICTIM OR HIS
LEGAL HEIRS.
• THE CRIMES ARE INTENTIONAL MURDER, QUASI-INTENTIONAL MURDER,
MURDER AS A RESULT OF MISTAKE, HURTS.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE – QISAS & DIYAT
AND WE ORDAINED FOR THEM THEREIN A LIFE FOR A LIFE, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A
NOSE FOR A NOSE, AN EAR FOR AN EAR, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH, AND FOR WOUNDS
IS LEGAL RETRIBUTION. BUT WHOEVER GIVES [UP HIS RIGHT AS] CHARITY, IT IS AN
EXPIATION FOR HIM. AND WHOEVER DOES NOT JUDGE BY WHAT ALLAH HAS
REVEALED – THEN IT IS THOSE WHO ARE THE WRONGDOERS.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES WITH AN IMPACT
ON SOCIAL LIFE – QISAS & DIYAT
• THIS CATEGORY COMPRISES OFFENCES THAT DO NOT FALL UNDER THE FIRST
CATEGORY.
• IN OTHER WORDS, CRIMES OTHER THAN THOSE LIABLE TO HUDUD, QISAS &
DIYAT FALL UNDER THIS CATEGORY.
• IT CONSISTS OF CRIMES WHERE THE SHARIAH APPLIES UNPRESCRIBED
PENALTIES.
• THIS INCLUDE ALL OFFENCES FOR WHICH TA’ZIR OR THE PENAL PUNISHMENTS
ARE AWARDED.
TA’ZIR
Any crime which Hudud offences for
does not come which sentence is
under the category not passed i.e. The qisas & diyat
of hudud offences hudud offences not offences for which
as well as those completely no sentence is
involving committed & passed & which
retaliation (qisas) where the had are not liable to
& blood money stands invalidated. qisas or diyat.
(diyat) Eg. Committing Eg. Committing
Eg. Khalwat S. theft because of qatl ‘amd due to
196 of Brunei famine S. 56(h), ikrah S. 127 (1)
Syariah Penal stealing traffic
Code Order, 2013 lights S. 56(o)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FIRST & SECOND
CATEGORY
Ta’zirat
Punishments have not been fixed by the Quran or
Sunnah & it is left to the discretion of the judge to
prescribe punishments according to the circumstances.
CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO INTENTION