How should a father act who borrowed 16 Kuwaiti Dinars over forty years ago, leaving electrical appliances as a trust whose value exceeds the amount of the debt, with no way to reach the creditor?

If the creditor's news is cut off and there is no hope of reaching him, it is better for the questioner's father to give charity on his behalf equal to the debt, and not to consider what the other person possesses as offsetting his debt, because set-off is impossible here.

As for the other person, if it is impossible to reach the owner of the trust, he should give it in charity on his behalf. Ibn Aqil chose the permissibility of collecting his debt from the collateral and giving the excess in charity.