Issue: A man was given from the zakah what would suffice to pay off his debt, so he went to the creditor and said, “I will pay you the debt,” and the amount he was given was ten thousand riyals.
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The Shaykh : Well, another man was given by us money that would suffice to pay off his debt, so he went to the creditor and said, “I will pay you the debt,” and the amount we gave him was ten thousand riyals. It turned out that only five thousand riyals remained of his debt. Does he have to return the excess five thousand to us?
Yes, he must return the excess five thousand, because Allah says: in conjunction with His saying: This means that the debtor does not own what is given to him; rather, he only owns the right to have his debt paid off. So if it turns out that he is not a debtor for that amount, he must return it to us. Now, this is a man who is an employee with a salary of three thousand riyals, but he is a young man who has not married and needs to get married. Is it permissible for us to give him from the zakah what he needs to get married? It appears that all young men would say yes, yes, he is given from the zakah what he needs to get married. But even if the mahr is five thousand and he currently has three thousand, meaning we give him the mahr, whether it is five thousand riyals or we complete it by giving him two thousand riyals, we complete it for him by giving him two thousand riyals, like that. Well, and if the mahr is ten, we give him seven, and if it is twenty, we do not give more.
The questioner : Why?
The Shaykh : Because the mahr does not exceed twenty, I think twenty is a lot. Well, what is your opinion if it reaches forty? Do we give him forty?
The questioner : We give him.
The Shaykh : Fifty.
The questioner : It reached one hundred.
The Shaykh : It reached one hundred? No, no.
The questioner : It reached one hundred and fifty.
The Shaykh : It appears that you are mistaken. It reached one hundred thousand? The mahr? I seek refuge in Allah. Well, in any case, we ask Allah to make mahr amounts only thirty thousand. The important thing is this man who has a salary but it is not enough for him to get married; we give him, even if this salary is enough for him for food, drink, and housing, we give him or not? Well, we give him, because marriage is a pressing need for a person, and not getting married may lead to matters that do not end well.
Yes, he must return the excess five thousand, because Allah says:
and those in debt
والغارمينand in the necks
وفي الرقابThe questioner : Why?
The Shaykh : Because the mahr does not exceed twenty, I think twenty is a lot. Well, what is your opinion if it reaches forty? Do we give him forty?
The questioner : We give him.
The Shaykh : Fifty.
The questioner : It reached one hundred.
The Shaykh : It reached one hundred? No, no.
The questioner : It reached one hundred and fifty.
The Shaykh : It appears that you are mistaken. It reached one hundred thousand? The mahr? I seek refuge in Allah. Well, in any case, we ask Allah to make mahr amounts only thirty thousand. The important thing is this man who has a salary but it is not enough for him to get married; we give him, even if this salary is enough for him for food, drink, and housing, we give him or not? Well, we give him, because marriage is a pressing need for a person, and not getting married may lead to matters that do not end well.