On the weight of a single person
A scale given for one life, in both directions.
مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًۢا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ
…man qatala nafsan bi-ghayri nafsin aw fasādin fi-l-arḍi fa-ka-annamā qatala-n-nāsa jamīʿā wa man aḥyāhā fa-ka-annamā aḥya-n-nāsa jamīʿā.
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul1 or for corruption [done] in the land2 - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one3 - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And Our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.4”
Source
The Qur'an · 5:32
- Qur'anic text in the Uthmani script via Quran.com; translation: Saheeh International