The Debtor.
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The Shaykh : As for the debtors, who are those who owe money to people and are unable to repay it, their debts are paid from the zakah, even if the amount is large. If a person has enough to cover his expenses but owes a debt he cannot repay, he is among those entitled to zakah, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: .
For example: A man has a salary of five thousand riyals, which is sufficient for him and his family, but he owes a debt of fifty thousand riyals. Do we pay off this debt from the zakah?
Yes, we pay it off, because he falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted: But how do we pay off his debt? Do we hand him the money and say, "Take this and pay your debt," or do we go to the creditor and say, "Take this and settle it from So-and-so's debt"?
The answer depends on the details: If the debtor—meaning the one who is owed—is eager to clear his liability, and we know or strongly suspect that if we give him the money and tell him, "Take this and pay your debt," he will go and pay it, then it is better to give it to him directly so that his heart is not broken in front of people and so that it is not said, "This man had his debt paid off by others." So we give it to him himself, and he pays off his debt.
However, if this debtor is a negligent man who does not care about his debt and does not mind it, then we give it to the creditor. We go to the creditor and say, "Do you have a debt owed by So-and-so?" If he says yes, we say, "Take this and settle it from his debt, or deduct from his debt the amount we are giving from the zakah."
But is it permissible to give him from the zakah what is needed to pay off his debt, even if it is a large amount?
The answer is: Yes, because we give it to him so that he does not remain a debtor. If his debt is fifty thousand, we pay it off, and there is no objection.
and those in debt
والغارمينFor example: A man has a salary of five thousand riyals, which is sufficient for him and his family, but he owes a debt of fifty thousand riyals. Do we pay off this debt from the zakah?
Yes, we pay it off, because he falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and those in debt
والغارمينThe answer depends on the details: If the debtor—meaning the one who is owed—is eager to clear his liability, and we know or strongly suspect that if we give him the money and tell him, "Take this and pay your debt," he will go and pay it, then it is better to give it to him directly so that his heart is not broken in front of people and so that it is not said, "This man had his debt paid off by others." So we give it to him himself, and he pays off his debt.
However, if this debtor is a negligent man who does not care about his debt and does not mind it, then we give it to the creditor. We go to the creditor and say, "Do you have a debt owed by So-and-so?" If he says yes, we say, "Take this and settle it from his debt, or deduct from his debt the amount we are giving from the zakah."
But is it permissible to give him from the zakah what is needed to pay off his debt, even if it is a large amount?
The answer is: Yes, because we give it to him so that he does not remain a debtor. If his debt is fifty thousand, we pay it off, and there is no objection.