| Blood money. Tech: Mutual insurance 'societies'
of preIslamic 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 committed 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 the 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. |
