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What should a person do who has accumulated Zakat debts for five years, and his investment certificates barely cover his family's expenses, and he is unable to pay the Zakat due on them?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Sincere repentance is obligatory for placing money in a usurious bank and for withholding zakat. Usury is one of the great destructive sins, and it is obligatory to withdraw money from a usurious bank and dispose of the interest by spending it on Muslim welfare or on the poor and needy. Excusing oneself with potential loss is weak; because there are many permissible ways of earning, and money can be deposited in Islamic banks or invested in permissible projects. Withholding zakat is a grave sin, and it is obligatory to settle this debt and give it to those who are entitled to it, and to calculate the zakat for past years and disburse it all to clear one's conscience. Giving zakat blesses and increases wealth, and charity never diminishes wealth.

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

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