I am a young man who has borrowed thirty thousand riyals from the Marriage Fund and twenty thousand riyals from the Loan Bank
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The questioner : The honorable Shaykh says: I am a young man who has borrowed thirty thousand riyals from the Marriage Fund and twenty thousand riyals from the Loan Bank. I am living in a rented house, and my monthly salary is two thousand six hundred riyals. Is it permissible for me to take zakah and use it to pay off my debt? Please note that I own a piece of land valued at one hundred and twenty thousand riyals. I am currently confused about whether I should sell the land, which I intend to build a residence on, or pay off my debt and take from the zakah?
The Shaykh : This questioner is not required to sell the land he has prepared for building, because this is one of his necessities. He may take from the zakah the amount of his debt and use it to pay it off.
However, if he has a house and wants to expand, and he has prepared this land for a spacious house, then it is not permissible for him to take from the zakah. Rather, it is obligatory for him to sell this land and pay off his debt with it, or to sell a portion of it if that portion is sufficient to cover the debt.
The Shaykh : This questioner is not required to sell the land he has prepared for building, because this is one of his necessities. He may take from the zakah the amount of his debt and use it to pay it off.
However, if he has a house and wants to expand, and he has prepared this land for a spacious house, then it is not permissible for him to take from the zakah. Rather, it is obligatory for him to sell this land and pay off his debt with it, or to sell a portion of it if that portion is sufficient to cover the debt.