Where does the blood money fall if the killer's lineage cannot be established?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Blood-Money (Diyyāt)

Book 48 · Issue 2 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If the lineage of the killer cannot be established for any specific group to pay the blood money, the entirety of the payment rests with the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal). This is analogous to the rule that Muslims inherit from a person who dies without heirs, where the inheritance is directed to the public treasury; similarly, the public treasury is responsible for covering the blood money on this basis.

Supporting text

If some known relatives are found who can cover a portion of the blood money, the remaining balance must still be paid from the public treasury.