Paying the debt of the deceased from zakah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question: A person died and he had a debt, and he did not leave behind anything to settle this debt. Is it permissible to pay his debt from zakah, or not?
Answer: There is no doubt that paying the debt of the deceased is a prescribed matter, and it is an act of kindness to the deceased, a release from his pledge, and a clearing of his conscience, , meaning the deceased.
So when Allah made it easy for His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to take on the debt of the deceased who had no means of repayment and would pray over him. This indicates the permissibility of paying the debt of the deceased.
As for paying it from zakah, this is a matter of disagreement among the scholars, because Allah, the Exalted,
and the Most High, specified the categories of zakah recipients in the eight groups, so one is restricted to what Allah, the Exalted, and the Most High, specified, and it is not permissible to add to them. Paying the debt of the deceased does not appear to fall within these, and this is one of the opinions of the scholars.
The second opinion: It is a narration from Ahmad, and Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah chose it, that it is permissible to pay the debt of the deceased from zakah. However, whenever it is possible to pay the debt from other than zakah, that is more cautious and better. And Allah knows best.
Answer: There is no doubt that paying the debt of the deceased is a prescribed matter, and it is an act of kindness to the deceased, a release from his pledge, and a clearing of his conscience,
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the early days of Islam, when a deceased person was brought to him to pray over him, would ask: Does he have a debt? If he was informed that he had a debt, he would refrain from praying over him and say: Pray over your companion,
وكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في أول الإسلام إذا أتي بالميت ليصلي عليه يسأل: هل عليه دين؟ فإن أخبر أن عليه دينًا تأخر عن الصلاة، وقال: صلوا على صاحبكم،And on some occasions, some of the Companions would take on the debt of the deceased, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray over him. He would encourage this Companion to pay the debt he had committed to paying until he paid it, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray for him regarding this deed, and say: Now his skin has cooled
وفي بعض المرات تحمل الدين عن الميت بعض الصحابة فصلى عليه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وحث هذا الصحابي على أداء الدين الذي التزم أداءه إلى أن أداه، ودعا له الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم على عمله هذا، وقال: الآن بردت عليه جلدهSo when Allah made it easy for His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to take on the debt of the deceased who had no means of repayment and would pray over him. This indicates the permissibility of paying the debt of the deceased.
As for paying it from zakah, this is a matter of disagreement among the scholars, because Allah, the Exalted,
and the Most High, specified the categories of zakah recipients in the eight groups, so one is restricted to what Allah, the Exalted, and the Most High, specified, and it is not permissible to add to them. Paying the debt of the deceased does not appear to fall within these, and this is one of the opinions of the scholars.
The second opinion: It is a narration from Ahmad, and Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah chose it, that it is permissible to pay the debt of the deceased from zakah. However, whenever it is possible to pay the debt from other than zakah, that is more cautious and better. And Allah knows best.