Is it permissible for me to give my Zakat al-Mal to my father to pay off his debt?

It is not permissible to disburse Zakat (definition) to ascendants (fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers) and descendants (sons, daughters, and their children); because their maintenance is obligatory. However, if the payment of Zakat is to settle a debt owed by ascendants or descendants that they are unable to repay, then in this case, it is permissible; because settling the debt of parents or children is not obligatory upon the son or the parent.