Paying off the debts of the indebted from zakah without their knowledge

Question : The indebted are those who have debts in their possession that they are unable to repay. It is permissible to give them from the zakah to pay off their debts. But is it permissible for me to go to the creditor and pay him without the debtor knowing?

Answer : The answer is yes, it is permissible. It is permissible for me to take my zakah to the creditor and say, "O so-and-so, you are owed by so-and-so; take this, burn the document or tear it up." This is permissible even if the debtor does not know. Now, how is it that the zakah is for the indebted and their debts are paid off if they do not know? We say: Look at the noble verse, which I will recite for you: How many are these? Four. They are entitled to the zakah by the letter "lam" (for). Where is the "lam"? And the word "property" indicates ownership. The "lam" indicates ownership. Therefore, these four must be given ownership . In the case of the slaves and the indebted, did the "lam" appear or not? It appeared. Look at the Qur'anic expression; it appeared in a form indicating that it is not a condition that ownership be given to the slaves or the indebted. For this reason, if you went to the master of a slave and bought the slave from him with the zakah, even if the slave did not know, and you freed him, it is valid. Likewise, if this debtor’s creditor is paid by you from the zakah, even if the debtor does not know, it is valid. This is because the "lam" indicates the recipient and the "lam" indicates ownership, so the debt is like a vessel into which the zakah is poured, and it is not a condition that the debtor be given ownership.