"There was Qisas among the Children of Israel, but Diyah was unknown among them. Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed: "Al-Qisas (the law of equality in punishment) is prescribed for your in case of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female." Up to His saying: "But if the killer is forgiven by the brother 9or the relatives) of the killed against blood money, then adhering to it with fairness and payment of the blood money to the heir should be made in fairness."[2] Forgiveness means accepting the Diyah in the case of deliberate killing. Adhering to it in fairness means asking him to pay the Diyah in a fair manner, and payment in fairness means giving the Diyah in a fair manner. This is and alleviation and a mercy from you Lord,[1] means: This is easier thanthat which was prescribed for those who came before you, which was Qisas and not Diyah." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4781)   

كَانَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْقِصَاصُ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ فِيهِمُ الدِّيَةُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ {كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحَرُّ بِالْحُرِّ وَالْعَبْدُ بِالْعَبْدِ} [البقرة 178] إِلَى قَوْلِهِ {فَمَنْ عُفِيَ لَهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ شَيْءٌ فَاتِّبَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَاءٌ إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَانٍ} [البقرة 178] فَالْعَفْوُ أَنْ يَقْبَلَ الدِّيَةَ فِي الْعَمْدِ وَ {فاتِّبَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفٍ} [البقرة 178] يَقُولُ يَتْبَعُ هَذَا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَأَدَاءٌ إِلَيْهِ بِإِحْسَانٍ وَيُؤَدِّي هَذَا بِإِحْسَانٍ {ذَلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ} [البقرة 178] مَا كُتِبَ عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ قِبْلَكُمْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ كَانَ الْقِصَاصُ وَلَيْسَ الدِّيَةَ  

"Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment) is prescribed for you in case of murder: the free for the free[2] The rule for the Children of Israel was Qisas, and not Diyah. Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed the Diyah to them, and He revealed this ruling to this Ummah as an alleviation of the ruling that applied to the Children of Israel." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 4782)  

{كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى الْحَرُّ بِالْحُرِّ} [البقرة 178] قَالَ كَانَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِصَاصُ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمُ الدِّيَةُ «فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ الدِّيَةَ فَجَعَلَهَا عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ تَخْفِيفًا عَلَى مَا كَانَ عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ»