Al-m aqil

Definition of "Al-m aqil"

Lit: Blood money. Tech: Mutual insurance ‘societies’ of pre- Islamic Arabia constituted to collect a common fund known as al-kanz to insure against damages and tort. If and when a member of the group com- mitted a tort and had to pay damages, this common fund came to his rescue. For instance, the damages for culpable homicide were one hundred camels. Few individuals could pay it. In such cases, kanz of the tribe was employed to pay for the damages. The members of the tribe were known as ‘aqilah. The Prophet retained this practice. See also al-‘aqilah