Prioritizing the Settlement of Debts over Marriage, Hajj, and 'Umrah

Question:
May Allah reward you. This questioner asks: Which of these matters takes precedence: a debt whose due date has arrived, or marriage given a strong desire for it, or fulfilling a promise to one's parents to perform Hajj or 'Umrah?

Answer:
It is necessary to repay the debt if one has a debt; one must begin with the debt before marriage and before Hajj. Before anything else, the debt takes precedence because it is a right belonging to a created being. The right of a created being is not waived except by his permission to forgo it. So one begins with the debt before other matters. Before marriage, one begins with the debt before marriage. One begins with the debt before Hajj and 'Umrah. The satisfaction of the parents does not enter into the matter of the debt; it does not waive the rights of people. If your parents are not pleased that you repay the debt, you do not obey them. If they are not pleased that you repay the debt that is upon you, you do not obey them in this. There is no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator, because failing to repay the debt is a sin. The one who is owed is demanding it; failing to repay it is a sin. Yes.