Settling the debt of the deceased before or after burial
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, if the deceased has a debt, should it be settled on his behalf before burial or after the days of condolence? One looks at the debts he owes, as searching for debts takes a long time, especially for those who own businesses and properties.
Answer:
If it is possible to pay off the debt before his burial and before shrouding him, that is better. If it is not possible except after a period of time, there is no harm, according to one's ability and capacity. However, if he told you, or it became clear to you, that he owed a certain amount to so-and-so, and so-and-so is present with you, and you have money with you, the best thing is that you hasten to pay the debt that is upon him. This is because the man who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to pray over him asked,Mishkat al-Masabih 2909 two dinars, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) withdrew and Sunan an-Nasa'i 1961Sahih (Darussalam) .
So whenever it is possible to hasten to settle the debt, that is what should be done. If one is unable to do so because the debt requires calculation or the creditor is absent, it is delayed according to one’s ability and possibility. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, if the deceased has a debt, should it be settled on his behalf before burial or after the days of condolence? One looks at the debts he owes, as searching for debts takes a long time, especially for those who own businesses and properties.
Answer:
If it is possible to pay off the debt before his burial and before shrouding him, that is better. If it is not possible except after a period of time, there is no harm, according to one's ability and capacity. However, if he told you, or it became clear to you, that he owed a certain amount to so-and-so, and so-and-so is present with you, and you have money with you, the best thing is that you hasten to pay the debt that is upon him. This is because the man who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to pray over him asked,
when he asked whether the dead man owed anything and was told that he did
هل عليه دين؟ قالوا نعمPray fro your companion.
قال صلوا على صاحبكمAbu Qatadah said: The two dinars are on me, O Messenger of Allah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stepped forward and prayed over him. When Abu Qatadah met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: What did you do with the two dinars?
قال أبو قتادة الديناران علي يا رسول الله، فتقدم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وصلى عليه، فلما لقي أبو قتادة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ما فعلت الديناران؟He said: I paid them off, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Now your skin has cooled over him.
قال قضيتها يا رسول الله، قال الآن بردت عليه جلدتكSo whenever it is possible to hasten to settle the debt, that is what should be done. If one is unable to do so because the debt requires calculation or the creditor is absent, it is delayed according to one’s ability and possibility. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 141/43 شرح زاد المستقنع/ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (1:07:24)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.