Is it permissible to give zakah to someone who has a good salary but many debts?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. If a man has a good salary but has many debts, is it permissible to give him from the zakah?
The Shaykh : Yes, if he is unable to pay off the debt except after a long period, there is no harm in paying his debt. But here is an issue, my brothers, that we should observe, which is the upbringing of people. I mean, if we were to pay off every debt that a person brings to us, we would encourage people to do what? To borrow, and we would make it easy for them, and one person would say, "Fine, I will borrow ten thousand," and when Ramadan comes, he goes to so-and-so and he gives it to him. This is an issue that few people pay attention to. But a person you know has suffered losses, or has a large family, and you know he has no source of income; if you give to him, that is one thing. But young people come and buy a car for one hundred thousand... I am in debt for one hundred thousand, even though he could buy a car for how much? Yes, for twenty thousand or ten thousand. Why buy for one hundred thousand? Therefore, we must observe this matter, which is raising people to not be lax about debt. Debt is not easy, as long as... martyrdom in the path of Allah expiates everything except debt. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when a man with a debt and no means of repayment was brought to him, he would not pray over him. And what is greater and what is bigger than this? A funeral is brought to the Messenger, and then he delays and says: This is a great thing. All of this is to deter people from debt.
, said Sahl ibn Sa'd, and he is the narrator of the hadith: a poor man who had nothing but a waist-cloth and he did not find even an iron ring. And did the Messenger say to him, "Borrow from your brothers?" He did not say that, nor did he say "borrow," nor did he say "the mahr can be deferred in your liability." He said: Mishkat al-Masabih 3202 and her mahr was, and this indicates that the mahr is valid as a benefit, not currency or goods, a benefit. And what is the benefit here?
The questioner : Teaching the Qur'an.
The Shaykh : Teaching, teaching the Qur'an, as happened to Musa (peace be upon him). What was his mahr for one of his daughters? Herding the sheep. So the result is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not advise borrowing. So you, the attendees, must advise people not to be lax about borrowing, and you must clarify. Poor things, they come and they are young, one has two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, one million riyals, and he is young! All of this is because he borrows, and when the debt comes due, he goes to borrow from another so that he is not imprisoned, and when the debt comes due, he borrows from a third, and so on.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. If a man has a good salary but has many debts, is it permissible to give him from the zakah?
The Shaykh : Yes, if he is unable to pay off the debt except after a long period, there is no harm in paying his debt. But here is an issue, my brothers, that we should observe, which is the upbringing of people. I mean, if we were to pay off every debt that a person brings to us, we would encourage people to do what? To borrow, and we would make it easy for them, and one person would say, "Fine, I will borrow ten thousand," and when Ramadan comes, he goes to so-and-so and he gives it to him. This is an issue that few people pay attention to. But a person you know has suffered losses, or has a large family, and you know he has no source of income; if you give to him, that is one thing. But young people come and buy a car for one hundred thousand... I am in debt for one hundred thousand, even though he could buy a car for how much? Yes, for twenty thousand or ten thousand. Why buy for one hundred thousand? Therefore, we must observe this matter, which is raising people to not be lax about debt. Debt is not easy, as long as... martyrdom in the path of Allah expiates everything except debt. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when a man with a debt and no means of repayment was brought to him, he would not pray over him. And what is greater and what is bigger than this? A funeral is brought to the Messenger, and then he delays and says:
Pray over your companion
صلّوا على صاحبكمAnd when a woman offered herself to him and he had no need for her, some of the attendees said, "Marry me to her, if you have no need for her." He said, "What will you give her as mahr?" He said, "I will give her my waist-cloth."
ولمّا وهبت إليه امرأة نفسها ولم يكن له بها حاجة، قال بعض الحاضرين زوّجني إيّاها، إن لم يكن لك بها حاجة قال وايش تعطيها من الصّداق؟ قال أعطيها إزاريHe had no rida' (cloak).
ليس له رداء... your waist-cloth, how will you give her your waist-cloth? If you give it to her, you will remain without a waist-cloth, and if it remains with you, you will remain without a mahr. Look! Look, he found nothing. He said, "Seek even an iron ring."
... إزارك كيف تعطيها إزارك؟! إن أعطيتها إيّاها بقيت بلا إزار وإن بقي عليك بقيت بلا مهر، دور! دور ما لقي شيء، قال: التمس ولو خاتما من حديدwhether he knew any of the Qur'an, and when he replied that he knew surah so and so and surah so and so, he said, “I have given you her in marriage for the part of the Qur’an which you know.” In a version he said, “Go away, for I have given you her in marriage; and teach her some of the
هل معك شيء من القرآن؟ قال: نعم، سورة كذا وكذا، قال: فعلّمهاThe questioner : Teaching the Qur'an.
The Shaykh : Teaching, teaching the Qur'an, as happened to Musa (peace be upon him). What was his mahr for one of his daughters? Herding the sheep. So the result is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not advise borrowing. So you, the attendees, must advise people not to be lax about borrowing, and you must clarify. Poor things, they come and they are young, one has two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, one million riyals, and he is young! All of this is because he borrows, and when the debt comes due, he goes to borrow from another so that he is not imprisoned, and when the debt comes due, he borrows from a third, and so on.