The ruling on giving zakah to a debtor who is able to pay off his debt

Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. From Riyadh, a female listener asks and says: What is the ruling on giving zakah to a person who is in debt but is able to pay off his debt? And if it is not permissible, if this person takes it while being ignorant of the ruling, is that a sin? And does he have to return that money, which is zakah, or how do you advise him? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Allah prescribed zakah for the poor and the needy and the remaining eight categories mentioned in the verse. So if this debtor is unable to pay and is being demanded to pay the debt, and he has no means to settle it, then he is helped and supported from the zakah to pay off his debt, because this makes him one of the debtors, because he is one of the debtors, and the debtors are one of the categories of zakah, whether the debtor is in debt for himself or in debt to reconcile between people. As for if this debtor is well-off and able to pay off the debt, then it is not permissible for him to take the zakah, and it is not permissible to give it to him. And if he took some of it, he has to return it to its owner so that he can give it to one who is in need of it. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.