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Is it permissible to give charity with the intention of paying off a large financial debt that cannot be settled in a single payment?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the ruling concerning voluntary charity for a debtor. The preponderant view is that it is impermissible for a debtor to give voluntary charity if the debt is due, or if the charity affects the repayment of the debt. Otherwise, it is permissible, especially if the charity is with a small amount, based on the statement of Al-Mardawi Al-Hanbali: "Should one who is in debt give charity? He said: A small amount. And paying off his debt is more obligatory upon him."

As for giving charity with the intention of repaying a debt, it is permissible.

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

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