A debtor received money and was told to pay off his debt, but he said, "I will trade with the money to make a profit and pay off my debt. If I lose, I will borrow again." Is it permissible for his brother to say...

The questioner : The honorable Shaykh, a man who borrows frequently received some money and was advised to pay off some of what he owed, but he said, "I will trade with this money so that I may make a profit and pay off some of what I owe."
And if I do not make a profit, I will borrow from so-and-so and so-and-so. His brother said to himself, "I will go and advise so-and-so and so-and-so not to give him anything." Does his brother have the right to do this, or is this something that does not concern him?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. This action mentioned by the questioner, a man who is in debt, to whom Allah gave money, and he said, "I will trade with it, perhaps I will make a profit, and my wealth will increase and my ability to pay will increase." I say: This is an unsound and unwise action.
This is because paying off the debt with the money that came to him is a certainty, whereas profit is a possibility; he may make a profit or he may lose, so he is taking a risk. Moreover, it is obligatory to pay off the debt immediately if it is due or if it was deferred and has now come due, and it is not permissible to delay it. How could it be otherwise when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And it is not permissible to persist in injustice. So we say to this brother: Pay off your debt and ask your Lord for help in paying off the rest. As for his brother, it appears to me that he intended by this to make a reconciliation and not to burden his brother with the debt, given what he knew of his poor management. If this is his intention, there is no blame on him if he says, "O so-and-so, if my brother comes to you, do not give him anything," out of compassion for his brother, not to cut off what he wants.