Abstract

The act of dismemberment of human body both living and dead is now a common phenomenon in both international and municipal communities. There are reports that during internal conflicts, some victims were killed and dismembered by some terrorists who claimed to be fighting Jihad. Dismemberment of body is common at the grassroots during internal conflicts particularly in communal crisis. This paper is set to show the position of Islam on the dismemberment of human body under Islamic Law. This will enable people to appreciate the liability attached to this disgusting act. Qisas is a retributive punishment prescribed for dismemberment under the Islamic Law. One may consider it worthy of note that except that the punishment will serve as deterrent to the culprit and the society, there is no humanitarian benefit or compensation given to the victims. Using analogy from murder case, it can be considered that compensation can be paid in lieu of retributive punishment in favour of the victims as humanitarian benefits.