Is it permissible to give zakat to a indebted brother while unaware of the source of his debt, and does ill-gotten wealth prevent one from receiving zakat?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A debtor is not given if he incurred debt for a (forbidden) matter, because that would be assisting in sin, regardless of whether he is the zakat-giver's brother or not. If you are not certain that your brother incurred debt for a haram matter, then think well of him and give him your zakat, as presuming the uprightness of Muslims' affairs is the default.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/170449
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 170449
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy