Is it permissible for a creditor to waive his debt with the intention of it being zakah for the one who is unable to pay?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you.
Shaykh, may Allah bless you, I lent money to a person.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : I lent money to a person.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And this person is unable to pay, so may I make this loan part of the zakah?
The Shaykh : After I have lent him the money?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to waive a debt owed by a poor person and intend it as zakah, because Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:267], and a debt, with regard to the item in a person's possession, is of this type, because the debt may come due or it may not. The summary of the rule is that it is not permissible to waive a debt and count it as zakah, just as it is not permissible to pay off the debt of a deceased person from zakah. Yes.
Shaykh, may Allah bless you, I lent money to a person.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : I lent money to a person.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And this person is unable to pay, so may I make this loan part of the zakah?
The Shaykh : After I have lent him the money?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to waive a debt owed by a poor person and intend it as zakah, because Allah the Exalted said: