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Is Zakat obligatory on a gold debt (3000 dinars) that a woman borrowed from her sister without her husband's knowledge, knowing that the debtor only has a state salary?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Regarding the indebted brother: Zakat is obligatory for him if he possesses wealth that suffices for his debt and, after that, a zakatable nisab remains (whether of gold, silver, trade goods, or a mixture thereof), and a hawl (one lunar year) has passed on it.

Regarding the lending sister: If the lent gold is not jewelry: - Zakat is obligatory on it every year if her indebted brother is capable of repaying the debt and does not deny it, and it is considered as if it is a deposit with her. - Zakat is not obligatory on it until after she reclaims it, and then she pays Zakat for one year only, provided it reaches the nisab by itself or by combining it with other wealth (cash or trade goods), if her brother is unable to repay or denies the debt.

However, if the lent gold is jewelry belonging to the sister, the majority opinion is that Zakat is not obligatory on it, although it is preferable to pay it to avoid disagreement.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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