Does the deceased's deeds remain suspended due to a debt that was not paid after his death, and what is the ruling of Islamic law on that?
The debt remains attached to the deceased's responsibility until it is paid on their behalf, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "The soul of a believer is tied to his debt until it is paid off." Scholars have stated that this warning applies specifically to those who had wealth but did not pay off their debt, or borrowed without intending to repay. If one dies with the intention of repaying, Allah will take care of paying off their debt, as stated in the Hadith: "Whoever takes people's money with the intention of repaying it, Allah will repay it on his behalf; and whoever takes it with the intention of destroying it, Allah will destroy him." If the deceased had wealth, their debt must be paid from it. If they had no wealth, and the heirs voluntarily pay it off, that is an act of righteousness. Otherwise, we hope that the meaning of the aforementioned Ahadith will apply to them.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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