Issue: Is it permissible to pay off a debt from zakah on behalf of the debtor without his knowledge?

The Shaykh : Now, if we went to the creditor and paid off the debt without the debtor being aware of it, without informing him, but we know that he is owed by so-and-so, and we went to so-and-so and said, "Take your right from the zakah," is that permissible or not?
We look at the verse: , meaning "and for those in debt." The preposition "in" (fi) indicates a location or scope. As for the poor, Allah the Exalted said: . The preposition "for" (li) indicates ownership. Therefore, it is permissible for us to go to the creditor and pay off the debt of the debtor, even without his knowledge, because Allah the Exalted did not condition that the debtor must take possession of it. He did not say "for those in debt," but rather said: . "In" indicates a location or scope. So, if we pay the zakah into the debt, the objective is achieved. But which is better, my brothers: should we give the money to the debtor so he can pay off his debt, or should we go to the creditor and settle the debt ourselves? In reality, it differs. If the debtor is a person of wealth and trustworthiness, and we know that he is keen to pay off his debt, then it is better to give the money to the debtor so he can pay off his debt himself, so that he does not feel embarrassed if we pay it off for him. However, if the debtor is a person who squanders money and is wasteful, and if we give him the money to pay off his debt, he goes and buys oranges, apples, decorations, and similar things that are not needed, and leaves the debt on his record, what do we do in this case? We do not give it to him; we go to the claimant and settle the debt, even if he does not know, because what should be considered is the public interest, and Allah the Exalted did not condition that the debtor must take possession of it. Now, is it permissible to waive the debt of the debtor from the zakah, meaning...