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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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The ruling on one who gives a debtor from zakah and then demands the debt

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Question:
If a man has a debt, and he is entitled to zakah, or is among those eligible for zakah, is it permissible for a man to give this man zakah and then demand the debt from him?

Answer:
His debt, you mean?
Q: Yes.
A: No, he pays his debt, he settles with people. As for his debt, no. This is a protection for his wealth. He gives him the zakah and says: "Settle your debt with people."
As for saying to him: "I will give it to you so that you give it to me," no. But if he gives it to him because of his poverty, his need, and his debt, and then he settles it, there is no harm, without any condition. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debtإِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ
[Surah al-Tawbah: 60]. The debtors are those who have debts, whether the debt is to Allah or to humans. If they are poor and do not have the ability to pay, they are given what settles the debt. But if the debt is to you, and you are the one in charge of the zakah, do not say: "I will give you this debt from the zakah so that you settle it with me." No; because this is a protection for your wealth. But you give it to him, and he settles the debt that is upon him. And if he gives it to you without a condition, giving it to you to settle your debt just as he gives to others, there is no harm. But if you impose a condition on him: "Otherwise, this is my condition that you return it to me to settle my debt," that is not permissible.
Allah commanded the one who has a debt owed by a person in difficulty to grant him a respite. He said:
And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] easeوَإِنْ كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ
[Surah al-Baqarah: 280]. It is obligatory for him to grant him a respite, and it is not permissible to compel him to settle the debt while he is in difficulty.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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