Is it obligatory to pay a debt owed to Allah the Mighty and Majestic?

The questioner : Yes. As for a debt owed to Allah, the school of thought holds that it is obligatory to pay it immediately, because the command to pay it comes from Allah, and He has established zakah, expiations, and vows in this regard. Ahmad explicitly stated that one who commits zihar is compelled to pay the expiation, according to the narration of Ibn Hanam. As for the item itself, I intend to...

The Shaykh : If the debt is owed to Allah, a debt owed to Allah must be paid immediately. It must be paid by the people, because they are actually being demanded to pay it, because a debt owed to Allah is either time-bound or cause-bound. When that time arrives, it means Allah is saying, "Pay it." When that cause occurs, it means Allah is saying, "Pay it." For example, zakah is time-bound, so it is like a debt owed to a human being, as if Allah is saying, "When that time arrives, which is the completion of the lunar year, pay the zakah." Therefore, it is obligatory to pay it. Expiations are cause-bound, so when the cause occurs or the cause that necessitates the expiation is present, it is obligatory to pay it immediately. However, some expiations are contingent upon an act, and it is required that this act precede the cause, meaning it has a cause and a condition, and it must be performed before the condition, such as zihar. What is its cause?
A man likening his wife to a forbidden relative, and its condition is sexual intercourse. It is obligatory to pay this expiation before sexual intercourse, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: "Before you touch each other" An oath has an expiation, which has a cause and a condition. What is its cause? Correct.
The cause of the oath is breaking the oath, and its condition is breaking the oath, but it is not obligatory to pay it before breaking the oath.
It is permissible to pay it before the oath, in which case it is called a release, or after it, in which case it is called an expiation. So the conclusion is that a debt owed to Allah, if Allah the Exalted has specified it with a time, it is obligatory to perform it when that time arrives and when that cause is present. If it is not specified, it is deferred.

Another questioner : Does he wash the debt, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes, a loan. A debt, according to the scholars, is what is established in the liability, whether it is a loan, a debt from a sale, a debt for a specific item, or something else.

Another questioner : So, is he not required to repay the loan unless it is demanded?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is not required to specify a time. Not necessarily.