He backed up the car and ran over his young son, who died
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Fatwa number ( 20753 )
Q: A man was returning home from the market in a pickup truck loaded with feed for sheep. When he entered the courtyard of his house, his three children came out to meet him; the oldest was five years old, and the youngest was two. He scolded them to move away from the car, and they went back while he was watching them, except for the youngest, who was two years old, who did not go back. He thought the child had gone back with his brothers, but Allah willed that he had not. He recalls that he moved the car forward about twenty meters, then turned it to the right after the twenty meters, then put it in reverse to back it up; he wanted to unload the feed he had with him. He walked back a little, and then the caller shouted: “The car ran over your young son with one of the front tires.” He said: “So I stopped and got out of the car, and there was the child lying on his face, crushed. The crushing was on his head; the car crushed his head and neck, and his blood was coming out of his nostrils. He remained in that state for about ten hours, then he died. He recalls that he thought the child was with his brothers inside the house, although he was not negligent or speeding, as he stated. He is now sad about what happened and wants to know Allah’s ruling in this tragic case: does he owe an expiation or anything else according to the Shari’ah?”
A: If the facts are as stated, then he owes an expiation, which is freeing a slave
who is a believer. If he cannot find one, he must fast for two consecutive months; because this is considered accidental killing. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A man was returning home from the market in a pickup truck loaded with feed for sheep. When he entered the courtyard of his house, his three children came out to meet him; the oldest was five years old, and the youngest was two. He scolded them to move away from the car, and they went back while he was watching them, except for the youngest, who was two years old, who did not go back. He thought the child had gone back with his brothers, but Allah willed that he had not. He recalls that he moved the car forward about twenty meters, then turned it to the right after the twenty meters, then put it in reverse to back it up; he wanted to unload the feed he had with him. He walked back a little, and then the caller shouted: “The car ran over your young son with one of the front tires.” He said: “So I stopped and got out of the car, and there was the child lying on his face, crushed. The crushing was on his head; the car crushed his head and neck, and his blood was coming out of his nostrils. He remained in that state for about ten hours, then he died. He recalls that he thought the child was with his brothers inside the house, although he was not negligent or speeding, as he stated. He is now sad about what happened and wants to know Allah’s ruling in this tragic case: does he owe an expiation or anything else according to the Shari’ah?”
A: If the facts are as stated, then he owes an expiation, which is freeing a slave
who is a believer. If he cannot find one, he must fast for two consecutive months; because this is considered accidental killing. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.