Issue: A person has a father who is in debt; is it permissible for him to give him from his zakah to pay off his debt?
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The Shaykh : If the father has a debt that is not due to maintenance, is it permissible for the son to give him to pay off his debt?
The student: He gives him.
Another student: He does not give him.
The Shaykh : Well, but this is a loss and not a need, meaning he is not in need of maintenance, but he incurred a liability, such as damaging something, having an accident, or something similar. Is it permissible for the son to pay off his father's debt from his zakah? The answer is yes, it is permissible. This is because the son is not obligated to pay off his father's debt if it is not due to maintenance. If he is not obligated to do so and he pays it off, he has not protected his own wealth by this payment, so giving him is permissible. Similarly, if we assume that the son is not obligated to provide maintenance for his father because what he earns does not exceed his own needs, then it is permissible for him to give his father from the zakah in this case, because maintenance is not obligatory upon him. This is a matter that is often asked about.
The student: He gives him.
Another student: He does not give him.
The Shaykh : Well, but this is a loss and not a need, meaning he is not in need of maintenance, but he incurred a liability, such as damaging something, having an accident, or something similar. Is it permissible for the son to pay off his father's debt from his zakah? The answer is yes, it is permissible. This is because the son is not obligated to pay off his father's debt if it is not due to maintenance. If he is not obligated to do so and he pays it off, he has not protected his own wealth by this payment, so giving him is permissible. Similarly, if we assume that the son is not obligated to provide maintenance for his father because what he earns does not exceed his own needs, then it is permissible for him to give his father from the zakah in this case, because maintenance is not obligatory upon him. This is a matter that is often asked about.