Religion does not prevent the payment of zakah
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Debt does not prevent the payment of zakah
A person has a shop for selling spare parts, for example, and he has debts and installments for this shop. Is zakah obligatory on him?
The correct view is that he owes zakah if the person has trade and is in debt for it.So the correct view is: That zakah is obligatory on him; because debt does not prevent the obligation of zakah due to the generality of the evidence indicating the obligation of zakah, and not a single word has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: If a person has a debt, he does not owe zakah.And the reasoning: That zakah is a form of support and that the debtor is not worthy of it, is a reasoning that contradicts the text.It is said: This reasoning does not specify the evidence for the obligation of zakah.Then who said: That zakah is a form of support.Someone might say: That zakah is worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and this is the most important aspect of it. So when a person pays it, even if he wants to benefit the poor, it should not be the most important thing for him. Rather, the most important thing is that he worships Allah the Exalted by giving out what He loves from wealth in obedience to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).So the statement: That zakah is a form of support and that the debtor is not worthy of support, and that one who has a debt and possesses zakatable wealth does not pay zakah, is a weak statement.The correct view: That one who has a debt owes zakah due to the generality of the evidence, and the reasoning that it is a form of support, as you have seen, is questionable; because zakah is worship in which a person gives out what he loves most out of love for Allah (Mighty and Majestic).Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Fajr: 20] And He said: "And indeed, he is for the love of good" meaning: wealth [Al-Adiyat: 8] and yet he gives it out with a willing heart; because Allah commanded him to do so.
The questioner: He has debts for this shop.
The Shaykh: There is no harm; he pays the zakah, and for the debts he seeks help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to pay them off and asks Him to settle them.
A person has a shop for selling spare parts, for example, and he has debts and installments for this shop. Is zakah obligatory on him?
The correct view is that he owes zakah if the person has trade and is in debt for it.So the correct view is: That zakah is obligatory on him; because debt does not prevent the obligation of zakah due to the generality of the evidence indicating the obligation of zakah, and not a single word has come from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: If a person has a debt, he does not owe zakah.And the reasoning: That zakah is a form of support and that the debtor is not worthy of it, is a reasoning that contradicts the text.It is said: This reasoning does not specify the evidence for the obligation of zakah.Then who said: That zakah is a form of support.Someone might say: That zakah is worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and this is the most important aspect of it. So when a person pays it, even if he wants to benefit the poor, it should not be the most important thing for him. Rather, the most important thing is that he worships Allah the Exalted by giving out what He loves from wealth in obedience to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).So the statement: That zakah is a form of support and that the debtor is not worthy of support, and that one who has a debt and possesses zakatable wealth does not pay zakah, is a weak statement.The correct view: That one who has a debt owes zakah due to the generality of the evidence, and the reasoning that it is a form of support, as you have seen, is questionable; because zakah is worship in which a person gives out what he loves most out of love for Allah (Mighty and Majestic).Allah the Exalted said:
And you love wealth with immense love.
وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبّاً جَمّاًIt is severe
لَشَدِيدٌThe questioner: He has debts for this shop.
The Shaykh: There is no harm; he pays the zakah, and for the debts he seeks help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to pay them off and asks Him to settle them.