She gave him assistance and he intended it to be a loan
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 21080 )
Q: My mother (may Allah have mercy on her) gave me a sum of money, namely five thousand riyals, as assistance for me. I told her: I will return this amount to you if my financial circumstances improve. She said: If Allah wills. However, she passed away (may Allah have mercy on her) before I returned it to her. Is this amount that I took and did not return a debt in my liability, or is it considered a gift from her, or should I donate that money?
A: This amount must be returned to the heirs; because she died before it was returned to her, it remained in her ownership before her death, and it is the right of the heirs after her death. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: My mother (may Allah have mercy on her) gave me a sum of money, namely five thousand riyals, as assistance for me. I told her: I will return this amount to you if my financial circumstances improve. She said: If Allah wills. However, she passed away (may Allah have mercy on her) before I returned it to her. Is this amount that I took and did not return a debt in my liability, or is it considered a gift from her, or should I donate that money?
A: This amount must be returned to the heirs; because she died before it was returned to her, it remained in her ownership before her death, and it is the right of the heirs after her death. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.