[1] i.e. in legal retribution for murder, through the requisite channels of justice.

[2] i.e. that requiring the death penalty, again through the requisite legal channels.

[3] i.e. person.

[4] grounds for legal action.

[5] illicit sexual intercourse. The Arabic word encompasses both fornication and adultery.

[6] polytheism: associating partners with Allah, a sin which is never forgiven to one who dies insistent upon it, as declared in Qur'an, 4:116.

[7] The Arabic word used here, al-harth, is generally understood, based on its common lexical meaning, to refer to crops, but see the next footnote for other explanations. Al-Mu`jam al-Wasit also mentions one of the meanings as 'earnings.'

[8] The Arabic word I have translated here as 'lives' is al-nasl, which a number of English translations of the Qur'an have translated as 'cattle' - an inaccurate translation as we proceed to explain. Al-Mu`jam al-Wasit, an authoritative dictionary of classical Arabic, explains al-nasl to be created beings, or offspring. Renowned exegetes have mentioned similar explanations. Qurtubi says, "al-nasl is the child which emanates from any [type of] female." [Al-Jami` li-Ahkam al-Qur'an, 3/19] Alusi says, "al-nasl is every being with a soul... Al-Azhari [an authority in Arabic] said: al-harth here is women [as in Qur'an, 2:223] and al-nasl is children. [And it is reported] from [Imam] al-Sadiq that al-harth here is the religion, and al-nasl is people." [Ruh al-Ma`ani, 2/144] Shaykh Zadah Rumi says, in his marginal annotations on Baydawi's exegesis, "al-nasl is the noun of yansilu, used when something emerges distinct from something else,  ... and so the child is the nasl of his parents." [Hashiyat Shaykh Zadah `ala Tafsir al-Baydawi, 1/514] This selection of quotes establishes clearly that the meaning of al-nasl encompasses life in general, and is not restricted to cattle. Perhaps the reason why some translators selected the word cattle here is that the verse, when revealed, was first referred to a man at that time named al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq al-Thaqafi, who matched the description of the verses, and destroyed crops and cattle [details of the incident can be perused in most books of Qur'anic exegesis], which in turn led some briefer exegeses to explain al-nasl as cattle. However, there is unanimity among scholars - indeed among all rational people - that the import and significance of Qur'anic verses derives from the general implication of their wording, and is not restricted to the specifics of the circumstances or situation in which they were revealed. [See Suyuti's Al-Itqan fi `Ulum al-Qur'an ("The Perfection in the Sciences of the Qur'an"), 1/39-40]. Hence, there appear no grounds for departing from the literal and general implication of al-nasl as 'life', and replacing it with 'cattle'.

[9] Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim.

[10] Narrated by Muslim, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad.

[11] Narrated by Muslim via Ibn `Umar as quoted, and by Nasa'i via 2 routes (Ibn `Umar and Ibn `Abbas) but without mention of the incident of the bird.

[12] Narrated by Tirmidhi (who graded it hasan sahih).and Ahmad, via Ibn `Abbas. Both of them included mention of Ibn `Abbas witnessing an incident involving a pigeon, similar to that witnessed by Ibn `Umar as in the preceding narration..

[13] Narrated by Ahmad, through a sound, contiguous chain of transmitters (Hushaym-Abu Bishr-Sa`id ibn Jubayr-Ibn `Umar).

[14] Narrated by Bukhari and al-Hakim.

[15] Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Nasa'i, Abu Dawud.

[16] Narrated by Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban.

[17] Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi (who graded it hasan sahih), Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah.

[18] Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Tahawi and others.

[19] Narrated by Ahmad, Tirmidhi (who graded it hasan sahih). Shawkani says, "Its isnad contains Ibrahim ibn Isma`il ibn Abi Habibah, who is weak, but Ahmad regarded him as reliable." Muhaddith Zafar Ahmad `Usmani adds, "`Ijli also said, "he is a reliable Hijazi," as in al-Tahdhib (1/104), and the disagreement is of no detriment, and so the hadith is hasan." [I`la al-Sunan, 12/31]

[20] Narrated by Abu Dawud. Shawkani says, "Its isnad contains Khalid ibn al-Firz, and he is not that." `Usmani graded it as hasan, observing that Khalid ibn al-Firz is rated as "acceptable" in al-Taqrib (p. 51), "a shaykh" by Abu Hatim as in al-Tahdhib, and accredited by Ibn Hibban. [I`la al-Sunan, 12/31]

[21] Narrated by Baghawi, through his isnad [Sharh al-Sunnah, 11/11]. He said, "This is an authentic hadith, narrated by Muslim." It may be observed that Baghawi's wording is more detailed than Muslim's, the latter mentioning only children.

[22] Narrated by Bayhaqi, who said, "Its isnad is weak, but it is strengthened by attesting narrations." [vide I`la al-Sunan, 12/31] Among the supporting narrations is that which Ahmad has narrated - through a chain containing mediocrity (on account of Ibn Lahi`ah, who is upright but weak in memory) as well as an unnamed narrator - : "Whoever kills a youngster or an old person, or burns a date-palm, or cuts down a fruit-bearing tree, or kills a sheep for its skin, will not return sufficed."

[23] Narrated by Malik. Qadi Shawkani said, "It is discontiguous." However, it is known that the discontiguous narrations of Malik's Muwatta' can all be found contiguously narrated elsewhere, and are regarded as reliable by Malik, as pointed out by `Usmani [I`la al-Sunan, 12/25]