ʿĀqila , in Islamic law, denotes the group that by virtue of its connection to a person who has accidentally injured or killed another is held liable to pay blood money ( diya or ʿaql ) on behalf of that person. In pre-Islamic Arabia, the ʿāqila consisted of the adult able-bodied tribesmen whose duty it was to protect all members of the tribe. The concept was adopted by the early Muslim jurists, in disregard of the principle articulated in Q 6:164 according to which a person is responsible only for