The obligation to repay a debt when it is due
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
ً
His Eminence the Shaykh: A man borrows a great deal, and then some money comes to him. He is advised to settle some of what he owes, but he says: I will trade with this money so that I may profit and settle some of what I owe. If I do not profit, I will borrow from so-and-so and so-and-so.So his brother said to himself: Should I go and advise so-and-so and so-and-so not to give him anything? Does his brother have the right to do this, or is this something that does not concern him?
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. This action mentioned by the brother questioner,A man in debt, so Allah gave him money, and he said: trading with it in the hope that he may profit, so that his wealth increases and his ability to pay increases,I say: this is an unsound and unwise action. This is because repaying the debt with the money that came to him is a certainty, whereas profit is a possibility; he may profit or he may lose, so it is a risk. Moreover, it is obligatory to repay the debt immediately if it is due or if it was deferred and has now come due, and it is not permissible to delay it, especially since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Delaying payment by a wealthy person is injustice) and it is not permissible to persist in injustice.
So we say to this brother: Repay your debt, and ask your Lord for help in repaying the rest.
As for his brother, it appears to me that he intended by this to make a reconciliation, and not to burden his brother with the debt, given what he knew of his poor management,And if his intention is this, there is no blame on him for saying: saying: O so-and-so! If my brother comes to you, do not give him anything, out of compassion for his brother, not to cut off what he wants.
His Eminence the Shaykh: A man borrows a great deal, and then some money comes to him. He is advised to settle some of what he owes, but he says: I will trade with this money so that I may profit and settle some of what I owe. If I do not profit, I will borrow from so-and-so and so-and-so.So his brother said to himself: Should I go and advise so-and-so and so-and-so not to give him anything? Does his brother have the right to do this, or is this something that does not concern him?
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. This action mentioned by the brother questioner,A man in debt, so Allah gave him money, and he said: trading with it in the hope that he may profit, so that his wealth increases and his ability to pay increases,I say: this is an unsound and unwise action. This is because repaying the debt with the money that came to him is a certainty, whereas profit is a possibility; he may profit or he may lose, so it is a risk. Moreover, it is obligatory to repay the debt immediately if it is due or if it was deferred and has now come due, and it is not permissible to delay it, especially since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Delaying payment by a wealthy person is injustice) and it is not permissible to persist in injustice.
So we say to this brother: Repay your debt, and ask your Lord for help in repaying the rest.
As for his brother, it appears to me that he intended by this to make a reconciliation, and not to burden his brother with the debt, given what he knew of his poor management,And if his intention is this, there is no blame on him for saying: saying: O so-and-so! If my brother comes to you, do not give him anything, out of compassion for his brother, not to cut off what he wants.