Is it permissible to waive a debt in lieu of zakah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner says: I lent a man money, but he was unable to repay it. Is it permissible for me to consider it as part of my zakah, so that I do not demand it from him?
Answer:
No, it does not suffice for the zakah. If you waive it for the sake of kindness, it is charity, and there is no harm in that. But to count it toward your zakah, that does not suffice for the zakah. Waiving a debt does not count as zakah, because zakah is payment and giving. Allah the Exalted said, "Give zakah," meaning pay it. So you pay the zakah from the wealth in your possession. As for waiving a debt from one who is in difficulty, that is charity. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:280]. Yes.
The questioner says: I lent a man money, but he was unable to repay it. Is it permissible for me to consider it as part of my zakah, so that I do not demand it from him?
Answer:
No, it does not suffice for the zakah. If you waive it for the sake of kindness, it is charity, and there is no harm in that. But to count it toward your zakah, that does not suffice for the zakah. Waiving a debt does not count as zakah, because zakah is payment and giving. Allah the Exalted said, "Give zakah," meaning pay it. So you pay the zakah from the wealth in your possession. As for waiving a debt from one who is in difficulty, that is charity. Allah the Exalted said:
And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease. But if you give [from your right as] charity, then it is better for you
وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل يجوز إسقاط الدين في مقابل الزكاة؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.