Is it permissible for the husband to pay off his wife's debt to him from his Zakat money, by waiving the remaining amount for her, or by giving her the money for her to pay him back?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to give to the wife to pay off her debt if she is able to pay. However, if she is in straitened circumstances, it is permissible to give her from zakat to pay off her debt without any condition or collusion. It is not valid to waive a debt owed by a debtor with the intention of it being zakat; for zakat is giving and transferring ownership, not waiving and absolving, and this is the view of the majority of jurists. Granting an extension to the one in straitened circumstances and giving charity to him is better and greater in reward.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/29733
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 29733
- 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