[Machine] About the saying of Qatadah on the verse {O you who have believed, prescribed for you is legal retribution for those murdered— the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female} [Al-Baqarah 178], he said, "The people of ignorance among them used to have aggression and obedience to Satan. So, when there was among them a number and quality, a slave of theirs would be killed by the slave of another people, they would say, 'We will only kill a free person in retaliation, to assert our superiority and preferential treatment over others in themselves.' And when a female of theirs was killed by another woman, they would say, 'We will only kill a man in retaliation.' So Allah revealed this verse to inform them that retaliation is for the slave, the free, and the female. And He prohibited them from aggression. Then He revealed Surat Al-Ma'idah and said, {And We ordained therein for them: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution} [Al-Ma'idah 45]."  

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ فِي قَوْلِهِ {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحُرُّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْعَبْدُ بِالْعَبْدِ وَالْأُنْثَى بِالْأُنْثَى} [البقرة 178] قَالَ كَانَ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فِيهِمْ بَغْيٌ وَطَاعَةٌ لِلشَّيْطَانِ فَكَانَ الْحِيُّ فِيهِمْ إِذَا كَانَ فِيهِمْ عَدَدٌ وَعُدَّةٌ فَقُتِلَ لَهُمْ عَبْدٌ قَتَلَهُ عَبْدُ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ قَالُوا لَا نَقْتُلُ بِهِ إِلَّا حُرًّا تَعَزُّزًا وَتَفَضُّلًا عَلَى غَيْرِهِمْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا قُتِلَتْ لَهُمْ أُنْثَى قَتَلَتْهَا امْرَأَةٌ قَالُوا لَنْ نَقْتُلَ بِهَا إِلَّا رَجُلًا فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ بِالْعَبْدِ وَالْحُرَّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْأُنْثَى بِالْأُنْثَى وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْبَغْيِ ثُمَّ أَنْزَلَ سُورَةَ الْمَائِدَةِ فَقَالَ {وَكَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهَا أَنَّ النَّفْسَ بِالنَّفْسِ وَالْعَيْنَ بِالْعَيْنِ وَالْأَنْفَ بِالْأَنْفِ وَالْأُذُنَ بِالْأُذُنِ وَالسِّنَّ بِالسِّنِّ وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ} [المائدة 45]