Fulfilling the Debt
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The second question of Fatwa No. ( 2235 ):
Q2: A person has a debt and wants to pay it off, but he cannot find the creditors. Some of them are dead, some have emigrated abroad and have not returned to their country, and some have forgotten him and he no longer knows them. What is the ruling?
A2: The rights of people are obligatory to perform. Therefore, it is obligatory for anyone who owes a debt to any person to exert his utmost effort to deliver it to them, or to their heirs if they have died. If he is unable to deliver it to the heirs or to the creditor because he emigrated to a country where he is not known, or he does not know his address there, or he has completely forgotten his name, he should give the debt he owes in charity to the poor, intending it on behalf of the creditor. If the creditor comes, he should inform him of what happened. If the creditor is satisfied with that, fine; otherwise, he should pay his right to him. The one who gave the charity will have the reward of that charity, if Allah wills, and his conscience is not cleared without doing this.
Q2: A person has a debt and wants to pay it off, but he cannot find the creditors. Some of them are dead, some have emigrated abroad and have not returned to their country, and some have forgotten him and he no longer knows them. What is the ruling?
A2: The rights of people are obligatory to perform. Therefore, it is obligatory for anyone who owes a debt to any person to exert his utmost effort to deliver it to them, or to their heirs if they have died. If he is unable to deliver it to the heirs or to the creditor because he emigrated to a country where he is not known, or he does not know his address there, or he has completely forgotten his name, he should give the debt he owes in charity to the poor, intending it on behalf of the creditor. If the creditor comes, he should inform him of what happened. If the creditor is satisfied with that, fine; otherwise, he should pay his right to him. The one who gave the charity will have the reward of that charity, if Allah wills, and his conscience is not cleared without doing this.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.