Taking from Zakah to Settle a Debt
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, is there a difference between a person who has a debt and is able to pay his creditor at the end of the year, and a person who is unable to pay it when the due date arrives? Does he have the right to take from the zakah to settle his debt?
Answer:
If the debt is due and he does not have the means to pay it, he may take from the zakah. However, before the debt becomes due, it is not permissible for him to take from it, except in cases of need. If the debt is due and he is demanded to pay it, but he does not have the means to settle it, he may take from the zakah.
Honorable Shaykh, is there a difference between a person who has a debt and is able to pay his creditor at the end of the year, and a person who is unable to pay it when the due date arrives? Does he have the right to take from the zakah to settle his debt?
Answer:
If the debt is due and he does not have the means to pay it, he may take from the zakah. However, before the debt becomes due, it is not permissible for him to take from it, except in cases of need. If the debt is due and he is demanded to pay it, but he does not have the means to settle it, he may take from the zakah.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تتمة باب صدقة التطوع — islamhouse.com (1:14:15)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.